The City of Richmond is organizing several events over the next couple week – for young and old and in between – to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day.
These include an art exhibit, a weaving workshop, a plant walk and an artist’s salon, many of which take place at Brighouse library and the cultural centre starting this Thursday. but some will be held throughout Richmond.
For those who want an Indigenous-themed activity to do at home, there will be take-home kits called “Cedar – Tree of Life” available from June 15 to 25. The kits are for children aged six to 12 and are free. They include access to a video where a Musqueam weaver shows how to weave a cedar bracelet out of materials in the kit.
To register, go to richmondmuseum.ca/whats-on. (Event ID 242949).
On Saturday, June 25, there will be a cedar bracelet weaving workshop for anyone aged 16 and older. The workshop, led by Rita Kompst, takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Richmond Arts Centre, 7700 Minoru Gate and costs $20. Participants will learn Coast Salish weaving techniques.
To register, go to richmond.ca/register (Event ID 217808).
Métis herbalist and plant educator Lori Snyder will do an Indigenous Plant Walk at Steveston Park on June 15 from 4 to 5 p.m.
And from June 19 to 24, various libraries will hold storytimes featuring stories by Indigenous authors and illustrators.
For film buffs, two Indigenous movies will be shown on Tuesday, June 20 starting at 6 p.m. at the Brighouse library.
The library’s Film Club will present Wildhood, a movie written and directed by Bretten Hannam, a two-spirit filmmaker living in Kespukwitk, L’nuekati (Nova Scotia).
The second film is Beans, directed by Tracey Deer. Based on true events, Tracey Deer’s debut feature chronicles the 78-day standoff between two Mohawk communities and government forces in 1990 in Quebec known as the Oka crisis.
An art exhibit from Tracey-Mae Chambers will also be featured at the cultural centre.
Chambers is a Métis installation artist and belongs to the Métis Nation of Ontario.
Her exhibit, Hope and Healing Canada, will be at the Richmond Cultural Centre until Sept. 30. The art installation seeks to broach the subject of decolonization and help bridge the gap between “settlers and Indigenous, Métis and Inuit people,” according to a press release from the City of Richmond.
Chambers will also hold an artist salon webinar, entitled ”Tracey-Mae Chambers on Traveling Exhibitions,” on June 28 starting at 7 p.m. She will talk about her journey as an artist and give tips and advice for artists who want to show their art across the country.
To register for the free webinar, visit www.richmondartgallery.org and to learn more about Chambers, go to TraceyMae.com.
The library’s Indigenous Perspectives Collection is displayed at all its locations throughout the month of June and community members are encouraged to explore its Indigenous resources webpage at www.YourLibrary.ca/indigenous-resources/.
For more information, go to www.YourLibrary.ca or call the library at 604-231-6413.
