Place des Arts and Nina Segalowitz invite the public to the event Micro ouvert autochtone: a sharing at the heart of indigenous cultures
Montreal, October 9, 2024 — Place des Arts and curator and Inuit throat singer Nina Segalowitz invite the public to the fourth edition of the event Micro ouvert autochtone (Indigenous Open Mic), taking place on November 9 and 10, where they can expand their knowledge of the different indigenous cultures of Quebec.
For this weekend of dialogue and encounters, Nina Segalowitz’s proposal will take on a human dimension enabling indigenous and non-indigenous participants of all ages to learn to understand one another more fully. To that end, the various public spaces at Place des Arts will be enlivened by numerous activities, most of them free of charge. On the program: shows, workshop area for children, screening of short films, and the now unmissable Salon des artisans for purchasing jewelry, clothing, books and food created by indigenous people. For the first time this year, Micro ouvert autochtone will be presenting a show in the Cinquième Salle, while continuing with intimate get-togethers in Salle Claude-Léveillée. It’s a date!
“In Quebec there are 10 First Nations and Inuit. Our traditions have been carried from one generation to the next. On November 9 and 10, you will see, taste, listen to and experience our traditions in a contemporary setting. We bring with us our teachings from our elders and share them with the next generation. Our communities welcome you and encourage you to visit each table, meet different nations and bring home with you a taste of our cultures.”
- Nina Segalowitz, 2023 and 2024 curator, Micro ouvert autochtone
“Place des Arts is pleased to be hosting Micro ouvert autochtone for a fourth consecutive year, a setting for festive encounters and exchanges between indigenous and non-indigenous people. By bringing people together this way, our hope is to contribute to a better understanding of the various cultures that inhabit the region. Thank you, Nina Segalowitz, for this year’s inspiring program!”
- Marie-Josée Desrochers, President and CEO, Place des Arts
Performances and Interviews
Elders’ opening ceremony – Sedalia Fazo (Mohawk) and Laurentio Arnatsiaq (Inuit)
November 9 | 12 noon | Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme (free)
Storytelling and drum singing by Jacques Newashish
November 9 and 10 | 12:15 p.m. | Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme | for all (free)
A member of the Atikamekw Nation, Jacques Newashish is a multidisciplinary artist working both solo and in group projects. Impassioned by artistic innovation, he brings a contemporary touch to his creations.
Known for decades in the industry thanks to the many cross-cultural collaborations he’s been part of over the years, Jacques is now seeing his work become better known to the general public as part of the new wave of indigenous artists doing contemporary art. What distinguishes him is the authenticity of his work, his generosity and his close ties with the Nitaskinan (“Our Land”) region, ancestral Atikamekw symbol.
A get-together with the audience will follow at 1:00 p.m.
Nunaapiga – Mon cher petit territoire
November 9 and 10 | 1:15 p.m. | Salle Claude-Léveillée (free)
Published by Éditions Hannenorak last April, the Inuit collection entitled Nunaapiga – Mon cher petit territoire brings together the pens of Inuit who took part in writing workshops in both Nunavik and Montreal. Founded by the author Juliana Léveillé-Trudel, Productions de brousse, working in the theatrical and literary domains, collected these poems written in Inuktitut and translated them into French. A native of Igloolik in Nunavut, the singer-songwriter, Inuktitut translator and tutor Angela Amarualik creates works inspired by northern life in the hope of preserving its language. So it’s only natural for her to guide Inuit apprentice writers as they use their mother tongue in the creative process.
This poetry reading in French and Inuktitut will be accompanied by a melody by musician, composer and dancer Christian Brun del Re. Founder of the collective fuit.es. and of the performance duo Glamour Magique, he specializes in jazz drumming and electroacoustic composition.
An autograph session will follow at 2:00 p.m. in the Salon urbain.
Interview with the author Maya Cousineau Mollen for her book Enfants du lichen
November 9 | 2:15 p.m. | Salle Claude-Léveillée (free)
Hosted by Nina Segalowitz, this interview with the Innu-Montagnais author Maya Cousineau Mollen, a native of Ekuanitshit, will present her collection of poetry Enfants du lichen, which won the Governor General’s Award in 2022, the Indigenous Voices Award for French-language poetry in 2020 and the Prix de poésie des cégépiens in 2023.
Committed to her roots and with more than 25 years’ experience in the world of the First Nations, Maya Cousineau Mollen is a founding member of the Association étudiante autochtone at Université Laval, collaborated on the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and was co-president of the Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy NETWORK.
In her book, she anchors herself as much in the memory of her region, of her culture and of her roots as in the memory of the intimate body and the atrophied memory of History. Enfants du lichen underscores, with tenderness and a desire for healing, the urgency of not closing our eyes to the disappearance of children and women, to exclusion, to dispossession and contempt.
Mélissa Cousineau Mollen works at Université de Montréal as senior advisor, First Peoples Relations, while continuing to give lectures all across Quebec and in Europe.
An autograph session will follow in the Salon urbain at 2:45 p.m.
Waska Matisiwin show by Laura Niquay
November 9 | 8:00 p.m. | Cinquième Salle ($)
Waska Matisiwin is the name of an album and show by the great Laura Niquay that have left their mark on Quebec in recent years. Indigenous Artist of the Year and Album of the Year – Indigenous Languages at the 2022 ADISQ Gala, she enchants audiences with a voice that’s become a key element on Quebec’s music scene. As part of Micro ouvert autochtone, she offers a grand and festive folk-rock performance accompanied by her five musicians – singing in Atikamekw, her mother tongue.
Musical performance by Backwater Township
November 9 and 10 | 3:00 p.m. | Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme (free)
Founded by Corey Thomas (bassist and composer) in 2018, Backwater Township defies musical genres tainted by intellectual elitism and control. The band offers original compositions along with musical arrangements of older indigenous jazz musicians who inspired his own musical journey.
Since its beginnings the band has given shows at the Festival Présence autochtone (2019, 2020), at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (2019) and at Sunset on Somerled (2019). Featured on CBC/Radio-Canada’s principal radio programs like Minotan! and Saturday Night Jazz, Backwater Township’s songs have been part of important playlists organized by Spotify, like Fresh Finds Jazz and The Jazz Collection.
Signing session and merchandise sale will follow near Salle Claude-Léveillée at 3:45 p.m.
Musical performance by Beatrice Deer
November 9 and 10 | 5:00 p.m. | Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme (free)
Both Inuit and Mohawk, singer-songwriter Beatrice Deer is a pop star who grew up in Nunavik, Quebec, in the little village of Quaqtaq, before living in Montreal. Her pop songs, blending indie rock with modern folk, relate deeply personal stories as well as traditional Inuit tales, interspersed with throat singing.
In Inuktitut, English and French, her songs have been collected on seven albums, and her most recent, Little Songs, revisits traditional Inuit children’s songs.
Signing session and merchandise sale will follow near Salle Claude-Léveillée at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday and before the Sunday performance at 4:30 p.m.
Closing the weekend with Nina Segalowitz and elders Sedalia Fazo (Mohawk) and Laurentio Arnatsiaq (Inuit)
November 10 | 5:45 p.m. | Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme (free)
Continuously
November 9 and 10 | from noon to 6:00 p.m.
CRAFTS AREA AND READING CORNER FOR CHILDREN (free)
With the artist Marie-Céline Einish, from the Naskapi nation of Kawawachikamach.
READING CORNER FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (free)
KIDS’ RALLY | ages 4 and up (free)
Traveling from one activity to the next, answer the questionnaire to discover the secret word. In addition to earning a participation prize, you’ll have the chance to win four tickets to a show in the Place des Arts Junior series called Nora la Trotteuse, presented on February 2, 2025!
SALON DES ARTISANS (free admission)
Artists and craftspeople from the 10 First Nations and Inuit of Quebec will be presenting their work throughout the weekend. Handicrafts, jewelry and books for sale on site.
WAPIKONI SCREENINGS (free)
from 3:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Short films will be screened in a loop in Salle Claude-Léveillée, in collaboration with Wapikoni Mobile.
CULINARY TASTING ($)
Discover Indigenous flavors prepared by Messy Kitchen. Tasting of products from Moccasin Joe Café.
SCREEN MOSAÏK (free)
Presentation of the short film Nin tapwe directed by Katherine Nequado (from the Atikamekw Nation) and produce by Wapikoni Mobile
Micro ouvert autochtone
Saturday and Sunday, November 9 and 10, noon to 6 p.m.
FREE*
Place des Arts | Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme | Salon Urbain | Cinquième Salle* | Salle Claude-Léveillée
175 Sainte-Catherine St. West
*Except for the Waska Matisiwin show by Laura Niquay, purchases at the Salon des artisans and culinary tastings
Consult the event page for more details.
About Nina Segalowitz
An Inuit throat singer for more than 25 years, Nina is involved in the world-music ensemble Oktoecho. She’s also collaborated with Ariane Moffatt, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Bobby McFerrin, in addition to performing in France, Colombia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy and the United States.
About Micro ouvert autochtone
Micro ouvert autochtone is part of Place des Arts’ Collectivités [Communities] program, which throughout the year offers cultural and educational activities to introduce participants to the performing arts in the company of professional artists. Activities presented in the Collectivités program are intended for participants of all ages and all backgrounds, including adults, children and families, secondary-school students and members of different communities. The program also offers support to artists with the goal of facilitating and deploying original works.
Micro ouvert autochtone activities are made possible thanks to the financial support of the Fondation de la Place des Arts and its partner Power Corporation of Canada. We thank the Montreal-based International First Peoples’ Festival for the loan of symbolic objects.
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Source :
Place des Arts
Press relations:
Natalie Dion | Roy & Turner
ndion@roy-turner.com