ohpinamake
In September 2025, the University of Saskatchewan Art Galleries and Collection (USAGaC) will open the application call for the fourth annual ohpinamake Prize for Indigenous Artists. “ohpinamake” is a nêhiyawêwin term meaning “to lift others,” which was gifted to USAGaC by three Indigenous community leaders: elders Maria Campbell and Louise Bernice Halfe-Sky Dancer, and artist and alumna Ruth Cuthand (BFA’83, MFA’92). This prestigious award recognizes an Indigenous artist who works within the spirit of the term, and whose territories intersect with the current colonial borders of Canada.
This opportunity is made possible through the generous support of donors Jim and Marian Knock. Originally from Saskatchewan, the Knocks provided an initial 50,000 CAD for ohpinamake to be administered by USAGaC in the College of Arts and Science. An award of 10,000 CAD will be provided annually for the next two years.
In further conversation with community, USAGaC has endeavoured to remove systemic barriers that keep Indigenous artists and others from accessing opportunities like this. From this space of engaged listening, we are continuing to develop both the processes of application, adjudication, and the possible outcomes of ohpinamake over the remaining years.
Eligibility
The chosen artist must clearly engage in a practice that “lifts others”. This can be understood as an active social practice or as the production of artwork that elevates Indigenous world-senses and creates community. It can also be understood as modeling behaviour that supports others in truly relational ways. Only Indigenous candidates will be considered for this award.
Application opening: September 26, 2025
Submission deadline: December 1, 2025
Compensation
The artist will be chosen by a jury of cultural workers and community members. The chosen artist will receive 10,000 CAD. The award recipient will be announced in Spring of 2026.
deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin: Indigenous Truth Policy
The name of this policy means truth – truth to self, truth to each other, truth to the ancestors, and truth to the land. The intent of deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin (Saulteaux, Michif, Cree) is to protect Indigenous truth and space for everyone.
The University of Saskatchewan is committed to safeguarding the cultures and integrity of Indigenous peoples, Indigenous values, and Indigenous languages. The University is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. We continue to grow our partnerships with Indigenous communities across the province, nationally and internationally and value the unique perspective that Indigenous students provide to strengthen these relationships. Only Indigenous candidates will be considered for this award.
Verification of Indigenous Membership/Citizenship at the University of Saskatchewan is led and determined by the deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin: Indigenous Truth Policy and Standing Committee in accordance with the processes developed to enact the policy. Verification of Indigenous Membership/Citizenship with documentation is a condition of receiving this award, and must be completed by the application deadline.
Please visit: https://indigenous.usask.ca/indigenous-initiatives/deybwewin-taapwaywin-tapwewin.php to proceed through the verification system. If you have any questions or require additional information about deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin please contact: indigenoustruthpolicy@usask.ca
Past Recipients
The second annual recipient of ohpinamake is Joi T. Arcand.
Image Credit (left): Sweetmoon Photography
Joi T. Arcand is an artist from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan, Treaty 6 Territory, currently residing on unceded Algonquin Territory in Ottawa, Ontario. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with Great Distinction from the University of Saskatchewan in 2006. In 2018, Arcand was shortlisted for the prestigious Sobey Art Award. Her practice began in photography and has expanded to creating large-scale installations with a focus on nêhiyawêwin Syllabics.
Recent solo exhibitions include Central Art Garage (Ottawa, ON); College Art Galleries (Saskatoon, SK); ODD Gallery (Dawson City, Yukon); Wanuskewin Heritage Park (Saskatoon, SK); Dunlop Art Gallery (Regina, SK). Her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions, including Àbadakone at the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON), Singing Mother Earth at the Museum of Contemporary Art (Busan, South Korea), and the National Gallery of Victoria Triennial in (Melbourne, Australia).
Arcand has been artist-in-residence at Wanuskewin Heritage Park (Saskatoon, SK); OCAD University (Toronto, ON); Plug-In Institute of Contemporary Art (Winnipeg, MB); the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (Banff, AB); and Klondike Institute of Art and Culture (Dawson City, Yukon); and Harbourfront Centre (Toronto, ON).
Along with Felicia Gay, Arcand was the co-founder of the Red Shift Gallery, a contemporary Indigenous art gallery in Saskatoon. She was founder and editor of the Indigenous art magazine, kimiwan (2012-2014). She has curated various exhibitions including Language of Puncture at Gallery 101 (Ottawa, 2017), nākatēyimisowin, an outdoor mural exhibition in Ottawa. In her past role as Director of SAW Gallery’s Nordic Lab she curated The Travellers (Supermarket Art Fair, Stockholm, Sweden, 2018). She is now pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Cree degree at University nuhelotʼįne thaiyotsʼį nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills and is a member of the Ottawa-based art and curatorial collective Wolf Babe.
The inaugural recipient of ohpinamake is KC Adams.
KC Adams is a Winnipeg-based artist who graduated from Concordia University with a B.F.A in studio arts. Adams has had several solo exhibitions, group exhibitions and been in three biennales including the PHOTOQUAI: Biennale des images du monde in Paris, France. Adams participated in residencies at the Banff Centre, the Confederation Art Centre in Charlottetown, the National Museum of the American Indian and the Parramatta Arts Gallery in Australia. Her work is in many permanent collections Nationally and Internationally. Twenty pieces from the Cyborg Hybrid series are in the permanent collection of the National Art Gallery in Ottawa and four trees from Birch Bark Ltd, are in the collection of the Canadian Consulate of Australia, NSW. She was the scenic designer for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Going Home Star: Truth and Reconciliation. She helped design a 30-foot public art sculpture called Niimamaa for the Winnipeg Forks and a piece for the United Way of Winnipeg called Community. Adams was awarded the Winnipeg Arts Council’s Making A Mark Award and Canada's Senate 150 medal recipient for her accomplishments with her Perception Photo Series. KC is now an author with her book Perception: A Photo Series that Quill & Quire. chose as one of 2019 Books of the Year.
Call to Give
Please consider participating in the opportunity to support Indigenous knowledge and achievement by making a gift to ohpinamake. Your gift to ohpinamake underscores the importance of the inclusion of cultural diversity, which is essential to ensure that artists have the equal access to resources and the same opportunities to gain recognition and develop their art.
Please join Jim and Marian, following their exemplary leadership, to make this bold vision a reality by contributing to the fund here.
ohpinamake Application
The application form has only two questions, but they are important ones to ensure that the jurors can fully understand how your work activates the principles and intention of this award.
What is your relationship to community?
How does your work lift others?
There is an opportunity to upload media in the form of a single PDF Document.
If you are unsure how to do this, please reference our pdf tutorial: Tutorial - Converting Images to a Single PDF
Please assemble your support materials into a single pdf. If you are wanting to link to online media like websites, video, or audio, please insert the links, along with their content descriptions and include them as a part of your pdf. With respect to the time and knowledge offered by our jury, anything that is not submitted as part of the overall application will not be considered.
Guidelines:
- Your PDF should include up to 15 digital images
- If you would like to include time-based or sound based works, please also include this in the PDF by inserting a link to the online media you’d like to share. Don’t forget to include any passwords required for the jurors to access them (if there are any). You can submit full videos; however, the jury may only view up to 5 minutes of each video.
- Make an image and material list that includes this: title, date, medium, size/duration, and copyright credit (if applicable).
ohpinamake
En Septembre 2025, l'University of Saskatchewan Art Galleries and Collection (USAGaC) lancera l'appel à candidatures pour la quatrième édition annuelle du prix ohpinamake destiné aux artistes indigènes.
Ce prix est rendu possible grâce à un partenariat entre Jim Knock (baccalauréat en ingénierie, 1976) et Marian Knock, et l’Université de la Saskatchewan. Ce partenariat a été établi afin de créer un prix reconnaissant la capacité de l’art à surmonter les différences et à changer les choses.
Nous sommes reconnaissants de pouvoir offrir cette opportunité, qui est en cours d'élaboration depuis plusieurs années, en particulier à ce moment précis de l'histoire, puisque le 30 septembre a récemment été désigné Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation. La désignation de cette journée est une réponse directe à l'appel à l'action 80, l'un des 94 appels à l'action élaborés par la Commission de vérité et de réconciliation du Canada en 2015. Les appels à l’action servaient à établir les étapes nécessaires pour une conciliation avec les peuples autochtones et pour un monde plus juste. C’est dans ce même esprit que nous avons commencé à concrétiser les intentions de Jim et Marian Knock en consultation avec des membres de communautés autochtones.
Le nom ohpinamake a été proposé par les aînés et auteures Louise Bernice Halfe et Maria Campbell, en collaboration avec l’artiste et éducatrice Ruth Cuthand. ohpinamake est un mot nêhiyawêwin qui signifie « élever les autres ».
En poursuivant le discussions avec la communauté, USAGaC souhaitons travailler à l'élimination les obstacles systémiques qui empêchent les artistes indigènes et d'autres personnes d'accéder à des opportunités comme celle-ci. À partir de cet espace d'écoute engagée, nous continuerons à développer les processus de candidature et de sélection, ainsi que les résultats possibles d'ohpinamake au cours des prochaines années.
L’artiste sélectionné·e, qui recevra un montant de 10 000 $, sera choisi·e par un jury de personnes travaillant dans le milieu de la culture et de membres de la communauté.
Le formulaire de candidature ne comporte que deux questions, mais elles sont importantes pour permettre aux jurés de bien comprendre comment votre travail met en œuvre les principes et l'intention de l'attribution de ce prix.
Quelle est votre relation au communautaire?
Comment votre art arrive-t-il à élever les gens?
Veuillez regrouper vos documents justificatifs dans un seul fichier PDF. Si vous souhaitez fournir des liens vers des médias en ligne tels que des sites web, des vidéos ou des fichiers audio, veuillez insérer les liens, ainsi que leur description, et les inclure dans votre document PDF. Afin de respecter le temps et les connaissances de notre jury, tout ce qui n'est pas soumis dans le cadre de la candidature globale ne sera pas pris en considération.
There is an opportunity to upload media in the form of a single PDF Document.
If you are unsure how to do this, please reference our pdf tutorial: Tutorial - Converting Images to a Single PDF
La prochaine application sera mise en ligne le 26 Septembre 2025.
ᐅᐃᓇᒦᒃ
ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᔾᔪᑎ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᕈᖅᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᖏᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᔨᒥ ᓈᒃ (BE ’76) ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᒥᐅᕆᐊᓐ ᓈᒃ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᓴᕐᕕᔾᔪᐊᖓᓂ ᓴᔅᑳᑦᓱᐊᓐ. ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᖅ ᓴᖅᑭᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᓪᓗᐊᑕᖃᖅᓱᑎᒃ ᓴᖅᑮᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᔪᒥᒃ ᐊᔾᔨᐅᖏᑦᑑᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖏᓐᓅᖓᔪᑦ ᑲᓱᖅᑎᑕᐅᖁᓪᓗᒋᓪᓗ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᙱᓐᓂᖏᑦ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᒍᓐᓃᑦᑎᑦᓯᓂᐅᒥᓗᓂ.
ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᓯᒪᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂ ᐊᓂᒍᖅᑐᓂ, ᖁᔭᓕᕗᒍᑦ ᒪᓂᒪᑎᒋᐊᖓ ᑖᓐᓇ ᐊᐅᓚᔾᔭᒋᐊᙵᕐᓂᐅᔪᒧᑦ ᐱᕕᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᐅᕙᓂ ᐊᑑᑎᒋᐅᖅᑐᒥ ᐊᑑᑎᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᑕ ᓄᕙᔾᔪᐊᕐᓇᖅ-19−ᒥᒃ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᒍᑕᐅᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐸᑦᓯᐊᒥᒃ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐅᓪᓗᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᓱᓕᔪᕐᓂᐊᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒋᐊᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ ᐅᓪᓗᖅ ᓯᑦᑕᕝᕙ 30, 2021. ᑕᐃᔭᐃᓪᓗᓂ ᑖᓐᓇ ᐅᓪᓗᖅ ᐅᖄᓚᔪᒧᑦ #80 ᐅᖄᓚᔪᓂᒃ 94ᕝᓂᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᔾᔭᒋᐊᖁᔨᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᓱᓕᔪᕐᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒋᐊᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ ᑎᓕᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ 2015−ᒥ. ᐊᐅᓚᔾᔭᒋᐊᖁᔨᔪᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᔭᐃᒍᑕᐅᔪᒻᒪᑕ ᐊᐅᓚᔾᔭᒋᐊᕈᑕᐅᒋᐊᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᑲᓱᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐋᖅᑭᒋᐊᖅᓯᒪᓂᖅᓴᐅᓗᓂᓗ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᖅ. ᑕᕝᕙᓂ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᓯᒪᑦᓱᑕ ᑐᕌᒐᕆᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᔨᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᒥᐊᕆᐊᓐ ᓈᒃ ᑐᑭᓯᓂᐊᖃᑎᖃᖅᓱᑕ ᓄᓇᖃᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓕᓐᓂᒃ.
ᐊᑎᖅ, ᐅᐱᓂᒦᒃ, ᓯᕗᒧᑦᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐃᓄᑐᖃᕐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑏᓐᓄᑦ ᓗᐃᔅ ᕗᓃᔅ ᕼᐋᓪᕝ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᒪᕆᐊ ᑳᒻᕗᓪ, ᐃᓚᖃᖅᓱᑎᒃ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖅᑎᒥᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᑎᑦᓯᔨᒥᓪᓗ, ᕉᖦ ᑯᖤᓐ. ᐅᐱᓂᒦᒃ ᑐᑭᓕᒃ “ᖁᕝᕙᑎᑦᓯᓂᖅ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒥᓂᒃ” ᓇᕿᔭᕙᕙᓐᒥᐅᑎᑐᑦ.
ᐅᖃᖃᑎᒋᒋᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅᓱᒋᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓖᑦ, ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᐱᔭᕋᓱᐊᖅᓯᒪᔭᕗᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᐅᔪᓂ ᐊᐳᖅᑕᕐᕕᐅᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᖅ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᖃᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᕕᑦᓴᖃᕐᓂᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᐃᒫᓪᓗᐊᖅ. ᑕᕝᕙᙵᑦ ᓈᓚᓪᓗᑕ ᑲᔪᓯᓂᐊᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᑕᒪᒃᑮᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᐅᔫᓐᓂᒃ ᑐᑦᓯᕋᐅᑎᓂ, ᐋᖅᑭᑦᑕᐅᔪᓂᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᖅᑭᑐᐃᓐᓇᕆᐊᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᐱᓇᒦᒃ−ᒥᒃ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂ ᑎᓴᒪᑦ ᐊᒡᒋᖅᑐᓂ.
ᓴᓇᐅᒐᖅᑎ ᓂᕈᐊᖅᑕᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᓈᓚᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᓕᓐᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓕᓐᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᐃᑦᑐᖅᑕᐅᒐᔭᖅᓱᓂ $10,000.00.
ᐱᓇᔪᖕᓂᐊᕐᓗᓂ ᑎᑎᕋᕆᐊᓕᒃ ᒪᕐᕈᐃᓐᓈᖕᓂᒃ ᐊᐱᖅᑯᑎᒃᓴᖃᖅᐳᖅ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᕗᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᓈᓚᒃᑎᑦ ᑐᑭᓯᐊᑦᑎᐊᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᓯ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᓲᖑᖕᒪᖔᑕ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᖕᒥ ᐊᖓᔪᖅᑳᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑐᓐᓂᖅᑯᓯᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᔪᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᑖᔅᓱᒥᖓ ᑐᓐᓂᖅᑯᓯᐊᒥᒃ.
ᖃᓄᖅ ᑲᓲᒪᓂᖃᖅᑭᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓕᓐᓄᑦ?
ᖃᓄᖅ ᓴᓇᐅᒐᑎᑦ ᖁᕝᕙᖅᑎᕆᕙᑉᐸᑦ ᐊᓯᓐᓂᒃ?
ᐱᕕᖃᕐᒥᔪᖅ ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᕐᒧᐊᖅᑎᕆᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᑐᓴᒐᒃᓴᓕᕆᔨᓂᒃ.
ᐃᒪᓐᓇᐅᖁᔨᓇᔭᖅᐳᒍᑦ, ᑲᑎᑎᑦᑎᓗᑎᑦ ᖃᔅᓯᑲᓪᓚᖕᓂᒃ ᐊᔾᔨᓂᒃ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕐᒧᑦ ᒪᒃᐱᖅᑐᒐᕐᒧᑦ, ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐊᑦᑕᑕᕐᕕᐅᔪᒪᒍᕕᑦ ᐃᑭᐊᖅᑭᕕᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᓄᑦ ᓲᕐᓗ ᐃᑭᐊᖅᑭᕕᖕᓄᑦ, ᑕᕐᕆᔭᒐᒃᓴᓄᑦ, ᓂᐱᓄᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ, ᑎᑎᕋᖅᓯᓗᑎᑦ ᐊᑕᓂᕆᔭᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᓗᓕᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᖃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᐃᓯᕈᓐᓇᐅᑎᓄᑦ ᐱᔭᐅᔭᕆᐊᓕᖕᓄᑦ ᓈᓚᒃᑎᓄᑦ ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓇᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᐃᓛᒃ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᑐᓐᓂᖅᑯᑕᐅᓕᕐᒥᓗᓂ .pdf
There is an opportunity to upload media in the form of a single PDF Document.
If you are unsure how to do this, please reference our pdf tutorial: Tutorial - Converting Images to a Single PDF
The next Application will go live September 26, 2025.