The 31st annual Eiteljorg Indian Market and Festival, located at the Eiteljorg Museum in downtown Indianapolis, promises a captivating experience for visitors. Brandi Crocker, the manager of special events and artist engagement at the Eiteljorg Museum, joined the camera to discuss the highlights of the event.

Attendees can expect to immerse themselves in the rich Native American culture and witness the talent of 130 Native American artists from the United States and Canada. The artists will showcase and sell their stunning artwork, including jewelry, pottery, paintings, sculptures, baskets, and more. Alongside the art displays, there will be engaging performances of Native American music and dance throughout both days. Additionally, visitors can savor the flavors of delicious food truck options available on-site.

To attend the festival, guests can purchase tickets in advance for $20 or acquire them at the gate for $25. Children aged 17 and under can enter for free, and Eiteljorg Museum members also enjoy free admission. The ticket price includes access to both the Indian Market and Festival as well as the Eiteljorg Museum. For convenient parking, the White River State Park underground garage is available. Further details and ticket information can be found on the Eiteljorg Museum’s website, Eiteljorg.org. By attending this event, visitors have the opportunity to support Native American artists, indulge in cultural performances, and appreciate the diverse array of artwork on display.

AT VANCOUVER ART GALLERY’S massive Fashion Fictions exhibit, some of North America’s most cutting-edge Indigenous designs stand side-by-side with Jun Takahashi’s intricate honeycomb-pleated skirts, Ronald van der Kemp’s swirling chain-link cascade of textile waste, and Rick Owens’s elaborate sculptural puffer capes.

That should not come as a surprise, as contributing curator Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, of Alberta’s Siksika Nation, says: “This is the original couture.”

What’s significant is that the exhibit’s complex creations by Indigenous designers like Caroline Monnet, Jamie Okuma, and Catherine Blackburn are not separated into a room of their own, but integrated into the larger themes of this expansive international survey of experimental design practices by the likes of Alexander McQueen, Issey Miyake, Moncler, Balmain, and Balenciaga.

“Fashion is much more important to me than just these pretty garments that have a season or that are in style,” says Bear Robe, an art historian and independent curator of Indigenous fashion-art shows at institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Native Art, and producer of the celebrated annual Indigenous fashion show for the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA). 

“Being Native is political, and that goes hand-in-hand with fashion, and that’s why I have this driving, urgent need to critically and academically look at that so it just doesn’t become a fad,” she explains. “When you look at the history of American fashion, or the records of Indigenous fashion, it’s a footnote, still relegated as a curiosity. The power of representation in all fields is so important. And so what I do now is an extension of my art curation and art history.”

Bear Robe has devoted her career to celebrating the intense technical skill of designers whose artistry is on a level with any French couture house.

Thu. 6/22

The Phenomenon. This explosive documentary is the most credible examination of the global mystery and cover-up involving UFOs. With shocking testimony from high-ranking government officials, and NASA astronauts at the Orpheum Theatre in Saugerties, 5pm.

The Addams Family Musical at the Phoenicia Playhouse, 7pm.

The Daily Show Writers Comedy Tour at the Colony in Woodstock, 8pm.

Grateful Dead Meet Up at the Movies at the Tinker Street Cinema in Woodstock, 8pm.

Fri. 6/23

Round The Bend Theatre Presents a Reading of One Good Tree by Robert Barnett at the Morton Memorial Library in Rhinecliff, 7pm.

The Addams Family Musical at the Phoenicia Playhouse, 7pm.

Sharkey and His Pals: When Sea Lions Were Stars of Show Business 1907-1958 at the D&H Canal Historical Society in High Falls, 7pm.

Monty Python’s Spamalot at Woodstock Playhouse, 7:30pm.

Illinois. Sufjan Stevens’s 2005 concept album Illinois is transformed into a full-length theatrical performance with a cast of virtuosic dancers, singers, and musicians at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in Annandale-On-Hudson, 7:30pm.

Hamlet Meets Batman Dinner Theater Experience Event. Brought to you by the Epiphany Shakespeare Company, this thrilling night of comedy and tragedy in the greatest play of all time promises to be an unforgettable experience at Revel 32 in Poughkeepsie, 8pm.

Fiddler on the Roof at The Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck, 8pm.

Sat. 6/24

School’s Out! Live Improv Show for kids 6-10 yrs old. Adapted from our popular shows for adults, the live interactive improv show designed especially for kids takes place at Boughton Place in Highland, 4pm.

A Reading and Conversation About Transition With Lucy Sante for Pride Month. The renowned author and scholar discusses her 2022 Vanity Fair article about her transition with author and professor Jason S. Wrench at the Rosendale Theatre, 2pm.

Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination since 1969. Opening reception for the first large-scale exhibition of its kind to center performance and theater as an origin point for the development of contemporary art by Native American, First Nations, Inuit, and Alaska Native artists at the CCS Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, 2pm.

Hudson Valley Improv for Kids at Boughton Place in Highland, 4pm.

Round The Bend Theatre presents Gem Exchange by Brent Buell at Saugerties Public Library, 6pm.

Alte Cocker Comedy Show. Celebrating Aging Series presents an exclusive line-up of NYC’s funniest comics at the Rosendale Theatre, 7pm.

The Addams Family Musical at the Phoenicia Playhouse, 7pm.

Monty Python’s Spamalot at Woodstock Playhouse, 7:30pm.

Into The Flames! The Improv Mastery Showcase. What happens when a group of improvisors have to come up with an entire show in 30 minutes? Find out at Boughton Place in Highland, 7:30pm.

Eric Neumann at Mahoney’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in Poughkeepsie, 8pm. 

A Very Good Comedy Show at the Tinker Street Tavern in Woodstock, 8pm.

Fiddler on the Roof at The Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck, 8pm.

Grateful Dead Meet Up at the Movies at the Tinker Street Cinema in Woodstock, 8pm.

Sun. 6/25

The Addams Family Musical at the Phoenicia Playhouse, 2pm.

Fiddler on the Roof at The Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck, 3pm.

The Vagina Monologues Performance to Benefit Planned Parenthood of Greater New York at the Rosendale Theatre, 4pm.

Playback Theatre – To Your Health with Judy Swallow. Telling a story from your life and having it “played back;” A healthy, fun, creative, and shared experience at Marbletown Arts at the KIVA in Stone Ridge, 7pm.

Illinois at Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in Annandale-On-Hudson, 7:30pm.

Monty Python’s Spamalot at Woodstock Playhouse, 7:30pm.

Mon. 6/26

Tangerine (2015) at the Blackbird Cafe & Info Shop in Kingston, 7:30pm. 

Tues. 6/27

Macario (1960) at the Tinker Street Cinema in Woodstock, 8pm.

Wed. 6/28

Matinee Movies – Book to Movie: The Help at Olive Free Library, 1pm.

Born in Flames (1983) at the Blackbird Cafe & Info Shop in Kingston, 7:30pm. 

OTTAWA — Veterans of the war in Afghanistan were influential in choosing the final design for a monument that will memorialize Canada’s contributions in the conflict.

After narrowing it to five choices, the federal government asked a jury to select the winner and asked the public for input.

More than 10,000 people responded to an online survey, and a great many of them served in Afghanistan or were family members of those who served, said Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay.

They overwhelmingly preferred a design put forward by Team Stimson: a circular space inspired by an Indigenous medicine wheel, sectioned into four parts, with an inner sanctuary featuring four bronze flak jackets hanging from crosses.

So when the jury made a different selection, it was overruled.

Artist Adrian Stimson, a member of Siksika First Nation in Alberta, is perhaps uniquely qualified to create such a monument.

A former member of the Armed Forces, Stimson joined the Canadian Forces Artists Program as a civilian in 2010 and spent time in Afghanistan, observing how the troops lived and interacted with their surroundings.

“While I was there, I became interested in the physical materiality of the bases, the industrial nature of embedding troops into the theatre of war,” Stimson said Monday as his design was unveiled at the Canadian War Museum.

“Mimicking this, the monument is a place to be discovered and to be revealed. The monument enlivens as you approach on a meandering pathway, revealing itself slowly, with purpose.”

Three quadrants of the monument will include the names of the 158 Canadian military members who were killed in the conflict. The fourth, which faces in the direction of Afghanistan, is meant to honour Canada’s relationship with the Afghan people.

The monument is set to be built in the Lebreton Flats area across the street from the War Museum, near the National Holocaust Memorial.

It could take another two or three years to finalize the design and construction, Stimson said, adding to what has already been a years-long process.

“We have sought guidance from Indigenous elders, made connections with both past and present military personnel and families,” he said.

The monument was promised by former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper in 2014, and on Monday the Tories accused the Liberal government of stalling the project.

The 13-year mission in Afghanistan involved more than 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members.

MacAulay said Monday he “cannot imagine” what it was like for the families of those members who waited at home.

“(The monument) will be a place to capture your memories, a place of reflection, and a place to gather to remember those who never returned,” he said.

International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan, who served as a lieutenant-colonel in Afghanistan, said the design captured “the essence of that mission.”

“This is not the future that we had hoped for Afghanistan,” he said, referring to the 2021 takeover of the country by the Taliban.

“But despite the current conditions in Afghanistan, we must not lose sight of the fact that Canadian and international efforts helped a generation of Afghans.”

An estimated 47,245 Afghan civilians were killed in the conflict between 2001 and 2021, along with 66,000 national police and military members and more than 51,000 Taliban and opposition fighters.

Jason Baerg says growing up with a single mother and aunties’ support was influential in their art.

The Cree-Metis artist, educator and art curator grew up in Prince Albert, Sask. They were taught about love and self-respect grounding their passions through art expression.

“It was just a space that nurtured my creativity,” they told CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday, National Indigenous Peoples Day. “I had a lot of really great family and my cousins and I were extremely active. So it just really helped encourage my creativity.”

Baerg’s art comes in different mediums including drawing, painting and media installations. Over the course of two decades, their art has been seen across Canada and around the world, bringing the unique stories of Indigenous Peoples.

“I think about relationships, I think all those values that are embedded in my Indigenous way of being (which) translates to how I interact in making work formally as well,” they said.

Through their success, Baerg has been able to give back to their community, founding the Shushkitew Collective, which aims to uplift Metis culture and voices within the art world. According to Baerg, Metis people represent a small fraction of artists featured in prominent galleries.

Recently the collective opened at Saskatoon’s Remai Modern.

“I know what it’s like to actually be underrepresented and I really want to make sure there’s a safe space for Metis People to make work and advance and realize their dreams, as all Indigenous artists should have,” they said.

Themes of Baerg’s work focus on ritual, urban migration, native relationality and bringing communities together.

“We have to do the work for our people and that’s my nation,” they said. “So I believe that’s part of nation-building.”

To watch the full interview click the video at the top of this article. 

If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419

Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.

Jason Baerg says growing up with a single mother and aunties’ support was influential in their art.

The Cree-Metis artist, educator and art curator grew up in Prince Albert, Sask. They were taught about love and self-respect grounding their passions through art expression.

“It was just a space that nurtured my creativity,” they told CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday, National Indigenous Peoples Day. “I had a lot of really great family and my cousins and I were extremely active. So it just really helped encourage my creativity.”

Baerg’s art comes in different mediums including drawing, painting and media installations. Over the course of two decades, their art has been seen across Canada and around the world, bringing the unique stories of Indigenous Peoples.

“I think about relationships, I think all those values that are embedded in my Indigenous way of being (which) translates to how I interact in making work formally as well,” they said.

Through their success, Baerg has been able to give back to their community, founding the Shushkitew Collective, which aims to uplift Metis culture and voices within the art world. According to Baerg, Metis people represent a small fraction of artists featured in prominent galleries.

Recently the collective opened at Saskatoon’s Remai Modern.

“I know what it’s like to actually be underrepresented and I really want to make sure there’s a safe space for Metis People to make work and advance and realize their dreams, as all Indigenous artists should have,” they said.

Themes of Baerg’s work focus on ritual, urban migration, native relationality and bringing communities together.

“We have to do the work for our people and that’s my nation,” they said. “So I believe that’s part of nation-building.”

To watch the full interview click the video at the top of this article. 

Jason Baerg says growing up with a single mother and aunties’ support was influential in their art.

The Cree-Metis artist, educator and art curator grew up in Prince Albert, Sask. They were taught about love and self-respect grounding their passions through art expression.

“It was just a space that nurtured my creativity,” they told CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday, National Indigenous Peoples Day. “I had a lot of really great family and my cousins and I were extremely active. So it just really helped encourage my creativity.”

Baerg’s art comes in different mediums including drawing, painting and media installations. Over the course of two decades, their art has been seen across Canada and around the world, bringing the unique stories of Indigenous Peoples.

“I think about relationships, I think all those values that are embedded in my Indigenous way of being (which) translates to how I interact in making work formally as well,” they said.

Through their success, Baerg has been able to give back to their community, founding the Shushkitew Collective, which aims to uplift Metis culture and voices within the art world. According to Baerg, Metis people represent a small fraction of artists featured in prominent galleries.

Recently the collective opened at Saskatoon’s Remai Modern.

“I know what it’s like to actually be underrepresented and I really want to make sure there’s a safe space for Metis People to make work and advance and realize their dreams, as all Indigenous artists should have,” they said.

Themes of Baerg’s work focus on ritual, urban migration, native relationality and bringing communities together.

“We have to do the work for our people and that’s my nation,” they said. “So I believe that’s part of nation-building.”

To watch the full interview click the video at the top of this article. 

Nearly two years after its launch, an art program at the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society  is guiding urban Indigenous Youth to expand their skills in both creativity and business.

The social enterprise called Original Born Art  was created to promote local Indigenous art­ists and teach Youth about the ins-and-outs of entrepreneurship – which has included mentorship, educational workshops and hands-on work experience.

The youth in the program create merchandise such as t-shirts, posters and mugs utilizing the artists’ designs – then those items are sold online and in-person at KFS. Through the process, the Youth gain skills in areas such as product development and design.

Paige Janvier, who is Dene­suline and from Bigstone Cree Nation, is a youth co-ordinator at KFS and is one of 10 part-time staffers and contractors working for Original Born Art through this summer.

Through the social enterprise, she’s helped produce mugs, sold items at vendor markets, honed her time management skills and more.

“It’s almost like being your own boss in a way, that creativeness that you can have,” said Janvier. “Coming here, you have space to do what you want. I can print out whatever I want, I can come in and help whenever I want – real­ly being your own boss and having that creative responsibility.”

An aspiring graphic designer, Janvier said that Original Born Art has given her the opportunity to experiment with digital creative designing apps, and she is in the process of sketching her own design.

“It opened up a whole lot of possibilities that I wouldn’t have had beforehand,” she said of her time at the society.

Janvier recently helped print and apply a design created by local Ojibwe artist Sarah Jones to dozens of ceramic mugs, as Original Born Art rolls out their Pride month merchandise.

For their clothing, stickers and other products created for commemorative events such as Red Shirt Day and Orange Shirt Day, Original Born Art uses the original designs of local Indigenous artists, including Jones.

Kody Woodmass, the former strategic planning co-ordinator at the society, said that the social enterprise is always looking to promote the work of Indigenous Youth and other local artists.

Woodmass, who is Red River Metis, was one of the main architects behind the development of OBA.

“The opportunities for where this project can grow are anywhere,” said Woodmass. “It de­pends on what the Youth want.”

Not only are the artists paid for their work, but the funds raised through product and merchandise sales are redistributed back to the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society, specifically their Cec­emala  Services Department.

The funds raised through the program help support youth workshops, cultural events and land-based programming.

“We wanted to create a way that people can go back out into the land that people used to. We would do gathering, traditional knowledge sharing where we would show people what are some different foraging opportunities, or what are these native plants in Kelowna. We were doing things like tool-making, hikes,” said Woodmass.

“It’s all about getting back to the land and understanding the beauty behind it.”

A number of local businesses have supported Original Born Art over the years by selling or showcasing their products, in­cluding Fire­weeds Boutique, Okanagan Heri­tage Museum, Okanagan College and many more.

Woodmass said that the overwhelming community support is a reflection of people taking their first steps towards truth and reconciliation.

“They’re coming in, asking how to support and how they can be part of the solution,” he added. “I think that’s what it’s all about, is coming together, walking togeth­er and learning togeth­er.”

MC Snow will miss the grilled octopus, but they’re happy to be home.

Just this week, Snow returned from Paris, where their work was featured in the Revelations International Biennial of Crafts and Creation, which, this year, honoured the province of Quebec. 

Snow, who is Kahnawa’kehró:non, was part of a contingent of six Indigenous artists that travelled to the biennial; their work was situated in the centre of the show, which for curator Michael Patten meant that freestanding sculpture works had to be selected. Snow felt a sense of camaraderie amongst the five other Indigenous artists: Nadia Myre (Kitigan Zibi), Renee Condo (Gesgapegiag), Craig Commanda (Kitigan Zibi), Caroline Monnet (Anishinaabe), and Ludovic Boney (Wendake). 

Much of Snow’s work references Kanien’kehá:ka legends and culture, and their piece for the biennial, Lunaris, is no exception, as it makes reference to Grandmother Moon and the creation story.  

There is thought behind every aspect of Lunaris, right down to the materials used. Snow makes reference to Kanien’kehá:ka pottery – “the soil, the clay, from Mother Earth.” Using fibreglass, epoxy resin, and encaustic paint made from beeswax, natural pigments and resin handmade in Montreal, Snow developed an “exploded encaustic globe” that signifies an inward turn towards the introspective. 

“I guess it’s an expression of going through changes, going through an evolution of sorts. The piece is about personal growth,” said Snow. 

Lunaris, or Mooncrust, was inspired by the time Snow spent developing spherical public artworks for the city of Montreal. They felt trapped in this format, but this most recent work represents a break – liberation from the snares that encircle us. The sculpture is about “creating some kind of new life from (Mother Earth’s) demise,” said Snow. 

The base of the sculpture, welded by Kahnawa’kehró:non Clive “Cookie” McComber, is part of the work, said Snow, meant to articulate the fragile balance that our world hangs in. 

Snow began Lunaris six months ago, and the sculpture demanded tedious attention, with the globe constructed by layering encaustic paint – each coat requiring a period of drawing in between.  

Patten, who is from Zagime Anishinabek First Nation, is also the director of the Contemporary Native Art Biennial based in Tiohtià:ke, and was chosen to curate the Indigenous works featured in the Paris biennial. 

“I kind of wanted to challenge assumptions about what Indigenous art is and what it can be, so I was choosing some more contemporary pieces, and I really wanted to highlight diversity of practice,” said Patten. 

“I thought it was a great opportunity to show them that it’s a living, present culture, not just something in the past.”

Organized by Ateliers d’Art de France, Revelations brings together 400 exhibitors on a biannual basis in the heart of Paris, adjacent to the Eiffel tower. 

“I think it’s going to lead to a lot of other things,” said Patten of the biennial. 

This article was originally published in print on Friday, June 16, in issue 32.24 of The Eastern Door.