In it's second iteration, Ta̱wi’stalisa̱la (To Walk Around the World): Reclaiming the Intangible explores Marianne Nicolson’s multi-disciplinary practice, including painting, installation, photography and engagement with museum archives, conceptually employing reverse appropriation to privilege Indigenous perspectives. She asserts, “My hope is that through this process of expression, the ideas remain alive and that others can experience their value. I do this because I believe that Indigenous worldviews can benefit all peoples, in particular, our notions of community connection to one another and to the land.”

The series of archival photographs serve as a response to the continuous acts of expropriation and appropriation inflicted upon Indigenous peoples, and through her contemporary practice Nicolson advocates for Indigenous ancestral land rights and to preserve the sacred rituals of her community in Gwa’yi (Kingcome Inlet, British Columbia).

Marianne Nicolson is an artist activist of the Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw First Nations.  The Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw Nations are part of the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwak’wala speaking peoples) of the Pacific Northwest Coast.  She is trained in both traditional Kwakwaka’wakw forms and culture and contemporary gallery and museum-based practice.  She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design (1996), a Master of Fine Arts (2000) from the University of Victoria, as well as a Master of Arts (2005) in Linguistics and Anthropology and a PhD (2013) in Linguistics and Anthropology with a focus on space as expressed in the Kwak’wala language. 

Artist Talk and Tour: Join us on Thursday, June 19th for a welcoming reception at 6:30pm, followed by a talk and tour led by the artist, Marianne Nicolson, from 7:00 - 8:00pm in College Art Gallery 2. Free and open to the public.