Join the Celebration September 8th thru 10th In Downtown St. Catharines in Niagara, Ontario
News from The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in Downtown St. Catharines
Posted September 7th, 2023 on Niagara At Large
Niagara, Ontario – The 7th annual Celebration of Nations brings Indigenous teachings and reflections on sustainable living, environmental stewardship and harmonious coexistence.
From 8-10 September in downtown St. Catharines, the gathering includes a variety of opportunities to learn more about Indigenous culture with a variety of teachings that include The Creation Story, Indigenous Food Sovereignty, The Medicine Wheel and Land Based Leadership.
For the 2023 edition, Artistic Producer Tim Johnson has contributed programs that explore the theme of borders.
“This year my curatorial focus deals with the theme of borders, physical, sociological, and personal,” said Artistic Producer Tim Johnson.
Among the many offerings for the gathering, some highlighted teachings include:
* The Mohawk Institute: Purpose and Preview of a National Site of Conscience w/ Rick Hill, Nicholas Roland, Heather George, Dawn Hill and Tim Johnson. Sat 9 Sept at 2pm | Pay-what-you-can
* Empathic Poetry Café w/ January Rogers, Roméo Desmarais III, Melissa Schnarr and Ganohsanohwe Lindsay Bomberry. Sat 9 Sept at 6pm | Pay-what-you-can
* Grandmothers Circle: Renewing the Seeds for the Seven Generations w/ Grandmother Gail Whitlow, Grandmother Renee Thomas-Hill, Shani M. Martin and Misty Ladd. Sun 10 Sept at 12nn | Pay-what-you-can
* UNESCO Niagara Escarpment Biosphere: Co-governance in a Time of Urgency w/ Patrick Robson, Michael McDonald, Liette Vasseur, Jim Hill, Karl Dockstader, Larry McDermott, Ellen Savoia, Steve Barnhart and Tim Johnson. Sun 10 Sept at 2pm | Pay-what-you-can
Celebration of Nations has been curated by Artistic Director Michele-Elise Burnett (Métis) and Artistic Producer Tim Johnson (Mohawk) [pictured above], with support of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre team. All photos by Jill Lunn.
This year’s Celebration of Nations programming offers over 30 events over the three-day gathering and includes a wide range of free activities, as well as pay-what-you-can and ticketed events. There are multiple ways for participants to engage with Celebration of Nations programming and perspectives, visit www.celebrationofnations.ca for the full schedule.
All workshops are ticketed and require pre-registration, while the free activities are open to all — visit celebrationofnations.ca/2023-schedule (https://www.celebrationofnations.ca/2023-schedule/?utm_source=FirstOntario+PAC&utm_campaign=59b24b22c3-EMAIL-COFN-1-SEPT&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_db304ae379-59b24b22c3-420345467) to register and learn more.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PROGRAM + SCHEDULE (https://www.celebrationofnations.ca/?utm_source=FirstOntario+PAC&utm_campaign=59b24b22c3-EMAIL-COFN-1-SEPT&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_db304ae379-59b24b22c3-420345467)
Kakekalanicks (https://www.kakekalanicks.org/?utm_source=FirstOntario+PAC&utm_campaign=59b24b22c3-EMAIL-COFN-1-SEPT&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_db304ae379-59b24b22c3-420345467) ’ mission is to promote Indigenous art and artists to broad-based audiences and acts to educate the public about the deep-rooted beauty and uniqueness of each Nation’s culture, heritage and traditions through the medium of the Arts.
Visit us online for box office + parking info (https://firstontariopac.ca/online/article/contact?utm_source=FirstOntario+PAC&utm_campaign=59b24b22c3-EMAIL-COFN-1-SEPT&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_db304ae379-59b24b22c3-420345467)
The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre acknowledges the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the City of St. Catharines, our long-time partnership with Brock University and our donors, sponsors and members for their ongoing support.
23/24 Season Sponsors include FirstOntario Credit Union, DJB Human Resources Advisory, Critelli’s Fine Furniture, Niagara Conservatory of Music, Niagara Trailers, LandPro Planning Solutions, Axzora Group and Elite Developments.
CLICK HERE FOR LISTINGS AND TICKETS (https://firstontariopac.ca?utm_source=FirstOntario+PAC&utm_campaign=59b24b22c3-EMAIL-COFN-1-SEPT&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_db304ae379-59b24b22c3-420345467)
About the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre – The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) aims to provide meaningful opportunities to bring our community together in a place of mutual understanding, empathy, and respect through the arts.
The PAC is located in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario at the corner of St. Paul and Carlilse Streets on the shared traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the Neutral Peoples and many other Indigenous people from across Turtle Island.
We offer our sincere gratitude and respect to the original and continued stewards of this land. We also acknowledge Indigenous, Black, People of Colour and 2SLGBTQQAI+ People that have been marginalized for centuries and more – and our collective responsibility to take action for a better world free from oppression, discrimination and racism.
** Visit us online to learn more about the FirstOntario PAC’s values. (https://firstontariopac.ca/online/article/aboutus?utm_source=FirstOntario+PAC&utm_campaign=59b24b22c3-EMAIL-COFN-1-SEPT&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_db304ae379-59b24b22c3-420345467)
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