Gallery 1C03 is pleased to present Seven Generations, an exhibition by Ininew-Anishinaabe-British relational maker, KC Adams (MA 23).
Seven Generations brings together Adams’ digital photo-portrait series We Are Still Here with ancestor regalia from the Manitoba Museum and a newly commissioned short film, Relational Making. Together, these works exemplify Indigenous resilience and demonstrate the vitality of inter-generational matrilineal knowledge and creative making. The exhibition will include an interpretive text by artist, curator, and writer Becca Taylor, who is also a member of Fisher River Cree Nation.
In response to the discovery of unmarked graves at Kamloops Residential School in 2021, Adams took to social media, inviting family and friends to bring their thriving school-age children to meet her at The Forks for a photo session. Her portraits of Indigenous youth are composed in seven layers to represent the seven generations teachings.
“Each generation is responsible for the care and well-being of those generations coming after them,” said Adams. “The work done today to heal ourselves will create a healing path for generations to come.”
Careful scans of historical beadwork and quillwork from the Manitoba Museum’s HBC collection surround the youth in loving gestures that point to Indigenous ancestral protection and ways of knowing. These ancestor creations will also be shown in the gallery.
For her new short film, Relational Making, Adams collaborated with young moms and their children who are regalia makers and powwow dancers from Fisher River Cree Nation to honour the beauty and teachings embedded in this evolving tradition.
Opening reception and Indigenous Makers Market
There are a number of events planned in conjunction with the exhibition. The festivities begin on November 21 with an opening reception starting at 4 p.m. with special guest dancers from Fisher River Cree Nation and a drum group. On November 28, the public is also invited to UWinnipeg’s first-ever Indigenous Makers Market, featuring the work of 20 makers. The new year will bring a panel discussion and workshop.
“KC’s work is created in relation to and with community, and her show, Seven Generations, points to the enduring importance of creative making within Indigenous communities,” said Jennifer Gibson, Director/Curator of Gallery 1C03. “The market will extend the impact of the exhibition and offer the opportunity for local Indigenous makers to showcase and sell their work on campus. We hope that the University community and people throughout the city will stop by campus and support these Indigenous makers by purchasing their creations.”
About KC Adams
Relational maker KC Adams, or Flying Overhead Eagle Woman, is of Ininew, Anishinaabe, and British heritage. She is a registered member of Fisher River Cree Nation living on Treaty One Territory in Winnipeg. Adams has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University and a Master of Arts degree in Cultural Studies (Curatorial Practices) from The University of Winnipeg where she graduated with Highest Distinction. As a relational maker, she creates work that embeds Indigenous knowledge systems. She is also an educator, activist, community member and mentor.
KC has had numerous solo and group exhibitions and residencies across Canada and internationally and has presented her work in three biennales, including the PHOTOQUAI: Biennale des images du monde in Paris, France. Twenty pieces from her Cyborg Hybrid photo series, which address racism toward people of mixed Indigenous/European ancestry, are in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Canada, and her Birch Bark Ltd sculptural installation is held in the collection of the Canadian Consulate of Australia.
Adams has received several awards for her work, including the Winnipeg Arts Council’s Making A Mark Award, Canada’s Senate 150 medal, the University of Saskatchewan’s Ohpinamake Prize for Indigenous Artists, and a Quill & Quire 2019 Book of the Year Award for Perception: A Photo Series, a project combatting anti-Indigenous racism. KC was the scenic designer for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s 2019 production Going Home Star: Truth and Reconciliation. Her recent public art commissions at The Forks and Red River Polytech honour Indigenous ways of knowing and inspire Winnipeggers to pursue reconciliation. Her photo-portrait series of Indigenous youth, entitled We Are Still Here, was first presented as a virtual exhibition with the Portrait Gallery of Canada.
Gallery 1C03, which opened in 1986, is UWinnipeg’s campus art gallery. Its mission is to engage diverse communities through the development and presentation of contemporary and historical art exhibitions and related programming activities.
The Gallery is also responsible for the development, preservation, and presentation of the University’s art collection. Since its inception, Gallery 1C03 has hosted more than 160 exhibitions and welcomed more than 170,000 visitors.
