In Conversation w/ Jerry Evans & Guest Curator Jenelle Duval

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Date: Oct 15
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Where: Theatre

In Conversation with Artist Jerry Evans and Guest Curator Jenelle Duval

Join guest curator, Jenelle Duval in conversation with visual artist, Jerry Evans to learn more about his work in the current exhibition, Weljesi.  This program will be moderated by Mi’kmaw and settler artist, Emily Critch.

Weljesi marks the first major survey of Jerry Evans’ iconic prints, paintings, projections and video portraiture. Questioning the very format of the traditional retrospective, this exhibition is rooted in Indigenous concepts of cyclical time, storytelling and beauty. It reveals how Evans’ works are in constant movement, as they align with his expanding Indigenous worldviews and act as a focal point for life and community.

Tickets are $12 (+HST). Free for Rooms Members..  Get your ticket online or by calling (709) 757-8090

About the Curator:

Jenelle Duval is a Mi'kmaw woman from Seal Rocks, NL, who currently lives and is working in St. John's as an advisor in media and content. She has been creating artistic spaces and opportunities for community members and art professionals since 2012. For almost a decade, she was the Artistic Director of the Spirit Song Festival, an annual celebration of Indigenous Arts and Culture in St. John's. A founding member of the ECMA-winning group Eastern Owl and a tireless advocate for the preservation and revitalization of cultural arts and music, Duval was honoured with the YWCA's Women of Distinction Award in 2019 for her work in Arts and Heritage. The same year, she was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award as Indigenous Songwriter of the Year. In 2020, she was awarded the annual Achievement Award from the Atlantic Presenters Association for her contribution to Indigenous arts presentations in Newfoundland and Labrador. A gifted songwriter, she is composing a series of works that embody a lands-based narrative through her interactions with territorial attachments and interpersonal relations. She is rooted in her home territory of Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland), where she shares her life with her amazing daughter Kassidy.
 

About the Artist:

Jerry Evans is an artist of Mi’kmaw and settler heritage, born and raised in central Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). He is one of this province’s most beloved and respected artists, working professionally for over 30 years. Known primarily as a painter and printmaker, he also works with film, design and traditional hand-poke tattooing to reach beyond Western ideologies. His practice is deeply rooted in his Mi’kmaw heritage, and his artistry comes alive in the creation of his own regalia for powwow dancing. He is committed to sharing and learning with communities all over Mi’kma’ki.

To learn more about Jerry Evans: https://www.jerryevans.ca/ 

About the Moderator:

Emily Critch (they/she) is a Mi’kmaw and settler curator, artist, and writer from Elmastukwek, Ktaqmkuk Territory (Bay of Islands, NL) currently based in St. John’s. Their recent curatorial projects include falling through our fingers (2023) and these are our monuments (2021) with the Owens Art Gallery, mitsujuk | kussikuashu | kpitni’sewet | they sew with the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador (2019) and the Tina Dolter Gallery (2020), and Visiting: Logan MacDonald at Grenfell Art Gallery (2018). Critch has published exhibition texts, reviews, and essays with several venues including Eastern Edge, The Rooms, Eyelevel, and Visual Arts News. Her artistic and curatorial practices have received support from ArtsNL and Canada Council for the Arts, and they’ve recently finished their appointment as the A.C. Hunter Public Library’s inaugural Indigenous Storyteller in Residence.