Solidarity Across Space
ICCA Digital Gathering
November 4 – 28
2021
The Indigenous Curatorial Collective / Collectif des commissaires autochtones (ICCA) is delighted to present its second digital gathering, Solidarity Across Space, which will focus on the 2021 ICCA programming theme of “Solidarity”. This gathering is a continuation of the discussions and reflections around care practices initiated during the 2020 ICCA Digital Gathering, Beyond Space: A Gathering on Care in Strange Times. As our Digital Engagement Coordinator Summer Taylor illustrates and explains it beautifully in the visual they created for this Gathering, solidarity is a journey that begins at our fingertips, within ourselves. Listening, uplifting, and committing for the well-being of our communities is part of the growth of this journey, like turning a new leaf.
Throughout the month of November 2021, we will witness and honour the work of a constellation of Black, Afro-Indigenous, Indigenous, and People of Colour curators, artists, art workers, educators, and knowledge keepers who are offering powerful imaginaries embedded in radical love and kinship as tools for solidarity actions. As the Black author and community activist bell hooks explained “[One] of the most vital ways we sustain ourselves is by building communities of resistance, places where we know we are not alone.” Whether it’s through the Tease Me Cabaret, a bingo afternoon, or an evening of colouring illustrations while participating in a panel discussion, we hope you’ll take the time to explore relationships and gestures of mutual support, which are at the heart of the care rituals of our communities. Join us and we will take the time to gather together again, because we will never be alone.
Schedule
Nov 4 | 8 PM EST
Opening Remarks with Della Chenier
TEASE ME
2Spirit Indigiqueer BIPOC Cabaret hosted by Carrington Christmas and Shanese Steele
The ICCA 2021 Digital Gathering Solidarity Across Space will begin with Knowledge Keeper Della Chenier giving opening remarks.
Following this will be our opening cabaret TEASE ME created in collaboration with our gathering accessibility partners Tangled Art + Disability. This event features 2Spirit, Indigiqueer, and BIPOC artists sharing a variety of performances including dance, poetry, and drag around our gathering thematic, “Solidarity”. The viewers will have the opportunity to show their appreciation to the performers and support them through tipping during the show. This opening event will be presented live on the ICCA YouTube channel and Vimeo account on November 4, 2021 at 8 PM EST. Audio description available.
Featured performers include Halal Bae, Issa Kixen, Come What Mae, Keenan Simik Komaksiutiksak, Kenyarami, K.P. Dennis, Miss Monday Blues, Mother Girth, Mx. Bukuru, and Scarlett Hummingbird.
Nov 13 | 3 PM EST
ICCA BINGO hosted by Stephanie Hashie
The Indigenous Curatorial Collective are pleased to present an afternoon of their famous BINGO games hosted by Stephanie Hashie! This zoom-based kinship event will include bingo, laughs, and prizes. So grab some snacks and some friends and come on out! ASL Interpretation available.
Nov 18 | 7 PM EST
ICCA Speed Dating Networking Event
Join us at the ICCA for a closed event where BIPOC Arts Professionals get to meet new people and discuss their art practices and projects. This is a safe and accepting event that hopes to bring like minded individuals together to discuss, and maybe even enact, some Indigenous creative excellence. The hosts will welcome all the participants in the zoom session to explain how the event will work and will answer any questions and/or concerns. Then each participant will be assigned to breakout rooms for one on one meeting up to 3 times for a duration of 7 minutes each. There will be a one minute break between each session. All the participants will come back in the main zoom room at the end of the last session to discuss shortly about their experiences. The event will last for 75 minutes maximum and will be hosted on zoom. ASL Interpretation available.
Nov 22 | 7 PM EST
Exploring Solidarity and Intersections Panel in partnership with Nia Centre for the Arts
ICCA and Nia Centre will host an intimate conversation that explores the individual artistic practices of four Afro-Indigenous/Mixed-race artists, while also exploring solidarity, (hyper)visibility, and the nuances and complexities in-between. The goal of this dialogue is to create space for an open conversation about how each artist is able to meaningfully engage with both their artistic practices and their communities, and the implications these practices have towards (hyper)visibility and solidarity, both in the past, in the present, and in the future. This panel will be presented live on the ICCA Vimeo and Facebook account, as well as Nia Centre’s social media.
A live Q & A with the artists will follow on November 23 at 7pm EST on the ICCA and Nia Centre’s facebook pages.
Participants: Jamaias DaCosta, Kaya Joan, Ekow Stone and Miali-Elise Coley-Sudlovenick. The discussion will be guided by Alica Hall, Nia Centre’s Executive Director
Nov 24 | 7 PM EST
Activations of Solidarity: Co-resistance and Care – Panel Conversation
ICCA Director of Programming Camille Larivée and Program Coordinator Emily Critch will facilitate a conversation that explores the artistic practices of the artists in the recently launched online publication Activations of Solidarity: Co-resistance and Care.
Each of the artists will talk about each of their projects in the publication and what solidarity means to each of them. This panel will be presented live on the ICCA YouTube channel and Vimeo account on Wednesday November 24, 2021 at 7 PM EST.
Panelists: Karmella Cen Benedito De Barros, Kiera Boult, Alex Jacobs-Blum, and Taryn Walker
Nov 28 | 8 PM EST
Closing Conversation with Laureen Blu Waters and Ann Marie Beals
The ICCA 2021 Digital Gathering Solidarity Across Space will close with a conversation about Laureen Blu Waters and Ann Marie Beals about Black and Indigenous solidarity, and to reflect on the events held over the duration of the gathering. This closing event will be presented live on the ICCA YouTube channel and Vimeo account.