When curiosity builds knowledge, UWIN
An Anishinaabe member of Sagkeeng First Nation on her matriarchal side and of mixed British heritage on her patriarchal side, Jaimie Isaac (BA 05, PACE 09) has emerged as a transformative force in the Winnipeg and Canadian arts community. For over two decades, she has championed and expanded urgent conversations around reconciliation and decolonization through her curatorial and artistic work.
Jaimie’s love for art began in childhood. It was a constant source of engagement and wonder being signed up for art classes by her mother. As she wandered through art galleries in university, she imagined the shared histories unfolding through the lens of visual storytelling.
“In many ways, art doesn’t have a language,” reflected Jaimie. “Art has the power of carrying narratives and the spirit of stories. There are many different ways of interpreting culture and language and politics, and I think art has a beautiful way of capturing lived realities.”
For Jaimie, art also provides an opportunity to imagine our future. “We can research and produce work based on the research, but interpretation and understanding are always evolving.”
Her academic journey began at the University of Winnipeg where she studied art history and theatre. Inspired by professors like Amy Karlinsky, Jaimie discovered curating as a creative practice — one that could explore truth and reconciliation among other areas of interest in a powerful way. She earned a certificate in Arts and Cultural Management through UWinnipeg’s PACE program, and completed her master’s degree at the University of British Columbia, where she researched decolonizing the curatorial practice in contemporary Canadian art.
Jaimie’s impact reverberates locally, across Turtle Island and around the globe. She has worked with major art galleries, including the Winnipeg Art Gallery – Qaumajuq, and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Her collaborations with artists and curatorial work have taken Jaimie to Indigenous communities as far as Aotearoa (New Zealand), Australia, Europe and the United States, with each exhibition contributing to a deeper understanding of Indigenous knowledge systems and cultural practices.
Bringing people together based on their knowledge and engaging across disciplines — that’s what deepens and enriches understanding.
Jaimie Isaac
Throughout her career, Jaimie has remained committed to amplifying underrepresented voices, creating space for womxn, IBPOC and @SLGBTQIA+ communities. She has a strong interest in bringing people and disciplines together in collaboration.
“Bringing people together based on their knowledge and engaging across disciplines — that’s what deepens and enriches understanding,” said Jaimie. “I love working with emerging artists as they are coming into the field and celebrating their growth and success in their lives; as well as established artists who have full careers to reflect upon.”
One of her most meaningful initiatives is the ROSEMARY Gallery, a roving, community rooted space co-founded with Suzanne Morrisette. The gallery supports artists through critical, arts-based projects and activates temporary spaces to build community through creative engagement.
“We wanted something nimble — something that could enter spaces, animate them, and build relationships,” Jaimie explains. “Our approach is to ask how ROSEMARY can serve both the community and those beyond it, carving out space in the broader arts landscape.”
Community is at the heart of everything Jaimie does.
“I’ve always felt my role includes kicking down doors and continuing the work of people that came before me. Community keeps you accountable— and pushes you to be better. It continues to be an important aspect of my work; to amplify and make space for Indigenous voices within Institutions that have historically ignored or undermined groups of people based on their race.”
In recognition of her unwavering dedication to truth and reconciliation through the arts, and her role in empowering the next generation of Indigenous and racialized cultural producers, the University of Winnipeg is proud to present Jaimie Isaac with the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award in the Community Impact category.
The University of Winnipeg’s inaugural Distinguished Alumni Awards Night will be held on Thursday, October 23 at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq. Everyone is welcome to join the celebration. Tickets are available now on the Distinguished Alumni Awards website.
