May 16 to July 21, 2019
La Guilde proudly presented Beading Now!, an exhibition of contemporary beading which brought together the works of 11 artists who were selected for the way they developed their own artistic technique around beadworking.
The works of Judy Anderson, Catherine Blackburn, Teresa Burrows, Hannah Claus, Ruth Cuthand, Dayna Danger, Sarah Maloney, Audie Murray, Mike Patten, Sylvain Rivard and Nico Williams shown during Beading Now! served as an excellent overview of beadworking.
The goal of this exhibition was to create a place where Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists can exchange thoughts and ideas. In order to encourage intergenerational discourse, objects from La Guilde’s own collection were an important part of this exhibition. The presented artworks created new narratives.
With the excitement surrounding the techniques of craft, just like the explosion of ceramics in the visual arts of the past few years, this beadwork exhibition helped to question the “traditional” and illustrated the modern aspect of this ancestral practice. The technique of beadworking offers artists rich opportunities in terms of exploration and creation. By integrating sculptures, photographs, installations, performances and serigraphies, this exhibition allowed visitors to learn about more than just beadworking.
"There is something wrong when we think, in a museum context, that ‘’traditional’’ automatically means preservation. Beading techniques, carried across generations, as showcased in this exhibition, remind us that they are still very much alive: they’ve always been at the center of community’s daily life. As for the new generation of Indigenous artists, beadwork is a way to stay connected to their heritage and pay tribute to their own culture. Beading Now! offered a new outlook on traditional techniques, transcending cultures and generations. The exhibited works proved the sustainability of this practice in the face of challenging times."
- Karine Gaucher, curator