Showcasing art and history
The Kahnawake Legion Hall is host to this year’s edition of Iontkahthóhtha’, the yearly art show that sets out to represent the wide breadth of Onkwehón:we artwork.
In the main room there are dozens of art pieces, varying in mediums, sizes, and themes. Walls are adorned with paintings, drawings, beadwork, photography, and mixed media pieces. In the centre of the hung works are sculptures of wood, bone, and antlers, moccasins, dolls, and even a porcelain bust.
“Having these different aspects of the exhibit shows how much talent and creativity there is within the community, Kahnawake’s sister communities, and other Onkwehón:we communities,” said Scott Berwick, manager of the Arts and Archive department of the Kanien’keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center (KOR), who organize the show.
“Bringing it all together in one room gives a great opportunity to see these talents.”
Berwick said that there is no theme for the art exhibition, and that the important thing is for all Onkwehón:we to feel welcome to submit works.
“It doesn’t matter what stages in their artistic careers they are in,” said Berwick. “We want the show to bring artists together by sharing a space that showcases their art as a collective.”
For the 2024 edition, along with physical pieces of art, the six-day long show also features screenings from the ImagineNative Film Program as well as an exhibition titled Inside the Longhouse: Items of The Kanien’kehá:ka Woodland People.
“My department at KORLCC hires summer workers, and Sakoianonhawi Curotte was our artifacts assistant,” said Berwick. “He helped box newly acquired items, did research and overlooked the collections catalog. He wanted to do some type of exhibit with our items along with other traditional items made by artists. So, we planned it out and made it happen.”
The items being exhibited include traditional tools and household items, as well as 18th century chief and clan mother clothing.
Among the featured artists is Kyle Kaientoton Williams.
His submission for Iontkahthóhtha’ is a triptych - meaning one work separated into three parts - representing on the left the statue of Kateri in front of Kateri School, on the right the War of 1812 Memorial, and in the centre the Saint Francis Xavier Mission. The imposing work is a mix of mediums, with the middle piece an acrylic painting on canvas, surrounded by oil pencil on primed wood panel.
“All three were for my class, but they were all self-directed, and they were all something I’ve been wanting to do for a couple of years now,” said Williams, who is a Fine Arts student at Concordia University.
He said the reference photos were taken several years ago, part of a planned series showcasing different landmarks in Kahnawake.
“Once I got a certain set, I started to see a common thread in them,” said Williams. “The original theme was supposed to be a tribute to our community’s history, a tribute to everyone who’s passed on from our community.”
While many of the pieces from that planned set ultimately became standalone pieces, he said he knew he wanted the triptych to stay together.
Along with the symbolism of loss, coming from the Catholic Church, war, and time itself passing, the triptych also hits a personal note for Williams.
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“Both of my parents are from Kahnawake, but my mom was raised Catholic, and my dad was raised by a guy who was a residential school survivor, and he was a veteran,” said Williams. “In this way, (the statues) remind, or represent, my parents to me. It’s just the conditions I’m born into.”
Iontkahthóhtha’ will be on at the Legion every day from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. until this Sunday, October 6. That Sunday will also feature a Harvest Festival Vendor’s Day at the Golden Age Club.
