Nina Segalowitz and Place des Arts present the third edition of the Micro ouvert autochtone event
A weekend of festivities to foster dialogue, meetings, and sharing
Montreal, October 12, 2023 – Curator and Inuk throat singer Nina Segalowitz and Place des Arts are inviting the public to the third edition of the Micro ouvert autochtone (Indigenous Open Mic) event on November 11 and 12, from noon to 6 pm. Presented free of charge in Place des Arts’ various indoor spaces, this weekend event will feature several traditional and contemporary activities for one and all: musical performances, discussions with artists, an arts fair, culinary discoveries, craft workshops, screenings of short films, and much more. This great gathering aims to reflect the Indigenous peoples’ spirit of community and is an invitation to share and engage in dialogue.
« As indigenous people of Canada, we carry the history of thousands of years of connection with the land, medicine, animals and elements. We are also contemporary members of communities all over the country. We are doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, singers, painters, dancers, actors, chefs, and many others. Through artwork, dance, music and poetry you will experience how we see the world through our eyes. As Indigenous people we share similar dreams and hopes for a safe community, family, love, balanced health and an opportunity to share the gifts and abilities we were born with. Journey with us over the next two days and discover with your senses the vast richness that Indigenous people of Quebec and Canada have to share. » – Nina Segalowitz, Curator, 2023 Micro ouvert autochtone
PERFORMANCES AND DISCUSSIONS
Noon
Opening ceremony with an Indigenous elder – Sedalia Fazo
Poetry recital and talk with Joséphine Bacon (30 minutes)
Joséphine Bacon is an Innu poet, director, documentary filmmaker, lyricist, translator, and Innu-Aimun teacher from Pessamit. She is one of Quebec’s leading internationally renowned authors and a major ambassador of First Nations culture in Quebec and abroad. She is very involved in the Indigenous literary and arts scene, filling younger generations with Indigenous pride and inspiring them to defend their language and culture.
1:15 pm (Saturday)
Discussion with Shayne Michael on the book Our Roots (45 minutes)
Our Roots is a biographical documentary work that paints portraits of modern and historical figures who have left a mark on their nations in their own way. From various backgrounds, these people with unique histories reflect Indigenous nations past and present. Nina Segalowitz will moderate the discussion.
Hailing from the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation in northwest New Brunswick, Shayne Michael is neither half-Maliseet nor half-Acadian. He is not half anything. Fif et Sauvage (Éditions Perce-Neige) was his first poetry collection. In 2021, the book won an Indigenous Voices Award in the “Published Poetry in French” category.
1:15 pm (Sunday)
Discussion with Melissa Mollen Dupuis on the book Nutshimit (45 minutes)
This entertaining book will appeal to all nature-lovers. Within its pages, Melissa takes us to the heart of her forest and describes the territory that is so important to her nation and, indeed, to all First Nations in Canada. From the legend of the Earth’s creation to Innu life of today, readers will discover Nutshimit, the physical and social space in which one practices traditional activities. Nina Segalowitz will moderate the discussion.
Melissa Mollen Dupuis is a member of the Innu community of Ekuanitshit on Quebec’s Côte-Nord. She has over 17 years of experience in the cultural sector, working with various First Nations organizations, notably with the First Nations Garden and, more recently, with Native Montreal. A filmmaker and activist in Montreal’s Indigenous community, she is chair of the board of directors of Wapikoni and co-founder of Idle No More Quebec. Named an Ambassador of Conscience by Amnesty International in 2017, she oversees the David Suzuki Foundation’s boreal campaign and hosts the ICI Première show Kuei! Kwe!
2 pm and 4 pm
Livres vivants (Living Books) (30 minutes)
A special get-together, in small groups, with an Indigenous artist or participant. A unique opportunity to hear a life story in an intimate setting conducive to mutual dialogue.
3 pm
Musical performance by Twin Flames (45 minutes)
Winners of the Canadian Folk Music Award for Indigenous Songwriters of the Year, this duo creates a musical universe that spans Canada, calls for unity, and transcends boundaries: Twin Flames bridges across cultures, continents, and styles with a unique musical experience based on personal history. The husband-and-wife duo performs in English, Inuktitut, and French, paying tribute to their ancestors and their Indigenous heritage (Jaaji is Inuit and Mohawk; Chelsey is Métis, Algonquin, and Cree—together representing Canada’s three groups of Indigenous peoples). Twin Flames pushes the boundaries of contemporary folk music through songs that evoke courage and survival, using both western and Indigenous instruments. Get ready for a musical journey like no other, taking you to the heart and soul of this appealing couple.
5 pm
Musical performance by Katia Rock (45 minutes)
Multidisciplinary Innu artist Katia Rock’s career on the performing arts scene goes back well over 20 years now. A highly committed artist, she has been involved in several research projects and in the creation of new works. Her musical landscape is inspired both by the urban environment and her ties to her Uashat-Mak-Maliotenam community, near Sept-Îles in the Côte-Nord region. Her warm, powerful, and transcendent voice lends itself well to her melodic compositions that draw from her people’s ancestral repertoire and the folk-rock genre, blending contemporary and traditional sounds. Her first solo album, Uapen Nuta, was released in June 2022.
ONGOING – from noon to 6 pm
CRAFTING ZONE AND READING CORNER FOR KIDS
With artist Marie-Céline Charron from the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach.
ARTISANS
Artists and artisans from Quebec’s 11 Indigenous nations (the 10 First Nations and the Inuit Nation) will be showcasing their work all weekend long. Crafts, jewelry, clothing, and books will be sold on-site.
SCREENINGS OF SHORT FILMS AND DIGITAL ARTWORK (Sunday only)
Short films will be screened continuously in Salle Claude-Léveillée, presented in collaboration with the Montreal International First Peoples’ Festival and Wapikoni Mobile. The art video KIWEW by Atikamekw artist Eruoma Awashish will be shown on the screen mosaic in the Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme.
FOOD TASTINGS ($)
Explore the flavours of Indigenous food prepared by chef Swaneige Bertrand of the Acho Dene Koe Nation in the Northwest Territories and Quebec. Sampling of Moccasin Joe Coffee Roasters products.
Micro ouvert autochtone
Saturday, November 11 and Sunday, November 12, noon to 6 pm
Free
Place des Arts | Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme
175 Sainte-Catherine Street West
Details: placedesarts.com/en/event/micro-ouvert-autochtone-indigenous-open-mic
Nina Segalowitz has been an Inuk throat singer for over 25 years and is actively involved in all aspects of the Oktoecho music world. She has also worked with Ariane Moffatt, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and Bobby McFerrin, in addition to appearing in France, Colombia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, and the United States.
Micro ouvert autochtone is part of Place des Arts’ L’Art en soi program, which, throughout the year, features cultural and educational activities to introduce participants to the performing arts alongside professional artists. L’Art en soi activities target participants of all ages and backgrounds, including adults, children and families, high school students, and members of various communities. The program also provides support for artists to foster the creation and performance of new works.
Micro ouvert autochtone activities are made possible through the financial support of the Fondation de la Place des Arts and its partner, Power Corporation of Canada.
We thank the Montreal International First Peoples’ Festival for its loan of symbolic objects.
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Source:
Marie-Claude Lépine, Communications Manager | Place des Arts
Press Relations:
Natalie Dion, Account Manager | Roy & Turner Communications