Jeffrey Gibson: To Name An Other

October 19, 2019

Saturday 19 October, 3-4pm, free
Atlantic Avenue Art Block Lobby

Fall Exhibitions & Programs Brochure

In a special performance as part of Jeffrey Gibson’s exhibition Time Carriers at Esker Foundation, fifty performers were brought together for a drumming event to give names to our current political climate.

This performance, presented in partnership with Springboard Performance, as part of the 2019 Fluid Festival, was a component of Jeffrey Gibson’s exhibition Time Carriers.

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Courtesy of the artist and The National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC. Photographs taken by Franz Mahr.
To Name An Other: Call for Performers
October 1st, 2019
American artist Jeffrey Gibson is looking for 50 participants who self-identify as either a person of colour, LGBTQQIP2SAA, and/or Indigenous to participate in To Name An Other, a drumming performance that will take place on Saturday 19 October at Esker Foundation.

This performance, presented in partnership with Springboard Performance, as part of the 2019 Fluid Festival, is a component of Jeffrey Gibson’s exhibition Time Carrier s, on view at Esker Foundation from 28 September.

The performance will feature 50 performers who self-identify as either a person of colour, LGBTQQIP2SAA and/or Indigenous. Jeffrey Gibson will also take part as the MC of the performance. Each performer will wear a unique garment that has been constructed from custom fabric with a text based print featuring a “name.” This “name” will describe an action or event that Jeffrey has found inspirational and courageous in the recent and current political climate.

Describing the performance Jeffrey Gibson states: “The performance will begin with an empty set of bleachers. One after another, the performers will walk onto the bleachers and stand before a microphone, say their “name,” then begin drumming. They will hold for 30 seconds drumming in front of the mic and then walk to the top row of the bleachers. The next performer will step onto the bleachers and follow the same steps. The performers who are drumming will continue to drum during the duration of the performance as all 50 performers repeat the same steps, until all 50 performers are on the bleachers drumming together.

The performers will walk off of the bleachers one by one, when called. They will continue to drum until they exit the space. The number of drummers will reduce from 50 to 0 and the performance will come to an end.”

DETAILS:

A full day commitment on Saturday 19 October, from 9am-5pm, and an orientation dinner on Thursday 17 October from 7-9pm, will be required.

No previous drumming, music, or performance experience is necessary. 16 years or older. An honorarium plus meals will be provided. We welcome expressions of interest from persons with disabilities and persons whose preferred language is not English. If you have questions regarding access either in participating or attending this program, please contact us.

Deadline to apply: Tuesday 1 October

If you are interested please email, giving your name and telephone number, along with any questions to Esker Foundation:

[email protected]

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Courtesy Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal.
Mekinawewin, to give a gift: Story Exchange and Paper-Making with Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal
November 2nd, 2019
Esker Foundation is pleased to present a series of workshops this fall in partnership with Otahpiaaki 2019: Indigenous Beauty, Fashion & Design Week. A series of five workshops will be held at Esker Foundation, an additional seven workshops, inspired by the work of Jeffrey Gibson in Time Carriers, will be held at the Central Library MakerSpace and Mount Royal University MakerSpace, for more information and to register for the additional seven partner workshops go to: otahpiaakifashionweek.com

Mekinawewin, to give a gift is rooted in a circular gesture of exchange. It is an invitation into relationship, as a guest to Treaty 7, and an introduction into the deep humility of belonging. Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal offers her third instalment of this generative project through a process made and shaped by many hands. As a result of stories told aloud, mixtures of water and botanical pulp collide and reconfigure themselves as paper sheets where these stories reappear.

Participants will be invited to contribute creations generated in this workshop to the exhibition of Mekinawewin, to give a gift, presented by Otahpiaaki at the Central Library, 3rd Floor, from 4-9 November 2019.

Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal is a multi-media artist and community activist who traces her ancestral roots back to the Saddle Lake Cree Nation and the once-German occupied lands of Ukraine.

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Courtesy of Catherine Blackburn.
Steep, Sip, Speak: Applied Beading Workshop with Catherine Blackburn
November 5th, 2019
Esker Foundation is pleased to present a series of workshops this fall in partnership with Otahpiaaki 2019: Indigenous Beauty, Fashion & Design Week. A series of five workshops will be held at Esker Foundation, an additional seven workshops, inspired by the work of Jeffrey Gibson in Time Carriers, will be held at the Central Library MakerSpace and Mount Royal University MakerSpace, for more information and to register for the additional seven partner workshops go to: otahpiaakifashionweek.com

Catherine Blackburn will lead an applied beading workshop inspired by her series Aboriginal Classics, which explores themes of identity, language, and story. Through a guided exploratory self-reflection process, participants will uncover powerful symbolism which will be transformed into a pattern and applied to an unconventional medium: a teabag becomes the vessel.

Recommended for intermediate beaders. Beginner beaders who would like to participate can visit Contour Beading 101 on Youtube for instructions on fundamentals and to practice small projects in advance.

Catherine Blackburn is a multi-disciplinary artist and jeweller whose practice speaks to the complexities of memory, family, history and identity, creating a dialogue between traditional art forms and contemporary interpretations. Blackburn was born in Patuanak, Saskatchewan of Dene and European ancestry, and is a member of the English River First Nation.

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