The Montreal McCord Museum is offering free admission to their First Nations exhibits for National Indigenous Peoples Day.
The curator of Indigenous Cultures at the McCord Museum, Jonathan Lainey, shared to CBC that the free admission to their First Nations exhibits is a call to action, stating: “It's not only an opportunity, I think it's a responsibility."
The museum intended on celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day, however with the recent discovery of 215 Indigenous children found buried at a Kamloops residential school, the McCord museum found that it became their responsibility to educate Canadians on Indigenous culture and history, and to confront our country’s past.
With a free film screening, photography display, and an exhibit geared towards learning about the importance of clothing, preservation and communication of Indigenous peoples, Montrealers are welcome to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day at the McCord museum later this month.
The different exhibits that will be available are:
- Wearing Our Identity - The First Peoples Collection.
- There Once Was a Song by Meryl McMaster, an artist of nêhiyaw (Plains Cree), British and Dutch heritage.
- Smudge - a short film produced by Angie-Pepper O'bomsawin.
The exhibitions will be free of charge from June 19 to 21. To register in advance, you can visit their website here.