Opening Reception: Fall 2026

Wiigwasitig / waskway / Honouring the Birch Tree 🌿 is a new exhibition at the Art Gallery of Burlington featuring work by five First Nations artists: Pat Bruderer (Halfmoon Woman), Helen Pelletier, Amber Sandy, Seth Arcand, and the late Angelique Merasty. Curated by Albany Sutherland, the exhibition explores intergenerational knowledge and healing through the lens of birch bark (Wiigwas/waskway), drawing from Anishinaabeg and nêhiyawak communities across generations.

The exhibition brings together bark biting, baskets, film, photography, and wearable art, blending traditional and contemporary forms. It invites visitors to reflect on the significance of Indigenous knowledge systems in sustaining relationships with the Land and kin, and positions the Gallery as a site for learning, exchange, and the ongoing presence of Indigenous ways of knowing within contemporary art contexts.

On view September 12, 2026 – January 3, 2027, in the Lee-Chin Family Gallery. The opening celebration takes place Saturday, September 12. The event will be catered by Cedar Spoon Indigenous Catering.

The Art Gallery of Burlington is fully wheelchair accessible, with wheelchairs available for loan. Both the Lakeshore and Brock lobby entrances feature automatic doors, and ramps provide access throughout the building. An elevator reaches the second-floor studios. Service animals are welcome, and gender-neutral washrooms are available on-site.

The Art Gallery of Burlington is located on the ancestral territory of many Indigenous Nations including the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, and Métis peoples. The territory is covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy, the Ojibway, and other allied Nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. The land is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.

Supported by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment and sponsored by The Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore. The Art Gallery of Burlington is supported by the City of Burlington and Ontario Arts Council.