The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is opening up a new exhibit of Olympic-bound aboriginal art.
The exhibit, called Keepers of the Eastern Door, is a collection of 20 works by aboriginal artists from across Atlantic Canada, which will now be shown at the provincial gallery until it is shipped off to Vancouver at the end of May.
The artwork will be on display in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics, where half of it will be auctioned off to raise funds to promote artistic and cultural work among aboriginal youth.
Two Nova Scotia native cultural groups, the Mi’kmaq Association for Cultural Studies and Nations in a Circle, teamed up to make the exhibit happen
“We were thrilled to offer them that opportunity to essentially give people a chance to see it all together before it goes off to Vancouver,” said Ray Cronin, the director of the AGNS.
A group of students visiting from Nunavut got a sneak preview of the new exhibit yesterday.
Twelve-year-old Killaq Envaraq-Strauss of Iqaluit was happy to hear that aboriginal cultures, including her own, will be celebrated in the upcoming Olympics.
“It’s a big chance for us to be noticed. A lot of the time they think we still live in igloos and tents,” Envaraq-Strauss said.
“It’s a great way to show the world that we’re just as developed as everyone else.”
The exhibition’s official opening will be held tonight at 7:30 p.m.
