Tannis Nielsen selected to submit a proposal to reimagine the Great Hall at Hart House

photo of northern wall in the Great Hall
Wednesday, September 5, 2018 - 9:45am to Saturday, October 27, 2018 - 6:00pm

September 5–October 27, 2018

Opening Reception:  Wednesday, September 5, 2018, 6-8pm  Hart House Quad

For its centennial celebrations in 2019, Hart House is commissioning a major, permanent artwork by an Indigenous artist to transform its historic Great Hall. One step towards redressing settler colonial narratives, this permanent commission seeks to acknowledge the history, narratives and people who came before us; to honour the land upon which we live and work today; and to imagine other possible futures for current and future generations, from an Indigenous perspective.

With guidance and input from Indigenous voices and other members of the University community, a jury of Indigenous artists and curators has selected a short list of artists from across Canada to submit proposals for the reimagining of the monumental northern wall in the Great Hall. Encouraging an open and imaginative approach to the site, the invited artists have been asked to take into consideration the histories of place, settler and Indigenous relations, present-day realities, and/or the potential for social and cultural change. Above all, the artists have been invited to exceed the centenary aspect of commemoration and to re-imagine Hart House as a place where the ever-present vestiges of its colonial past are disrupted and as a place where everyone will find welcome and unique ways to connect with each other and with the broader world.

In October this year, following a review process involving input from Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers, and select stakeholders of Hart House, the jury will choose a finalist from the proposals presented in this exhibition. Overseen and implemented by the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, of which Hart House is a founding member, the completed work will be unveiled on November 12, 2019 during a gala celebration to mark Hart House’s 100th Anniversary.

Proposals by: Rebecca Belmore and Osvaldo Yero (RBOY inc.), Hannah Claus, Faye Heavyshield, Ursula Johnson in collaboration with Maria Hupfield, Amy Malbeuf, Nadia Myre, Tannis Nielsen, Shelley Niro, Travis Shilling

About Hart House: On November 11, 2019, Hart House will reach a historic milestone with the 100th anniversary of Vincent Massey’s extraordinary gift of the building to the students of the University of Toronto. More than just a physical space, Hart House continues to play a pivotal role as a diverse and inclusive gathering place that fosters the enhancement of the student experience, on all three campuses, through the provision of opportunities to engage with wellness, arts, and dialogue with a focus on preparing students for their futures as citizens of the world.

 

Our Supporters

We gratefully acknowledge the operating support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council. Additional Centennial Commission individual support has been provided by Edward G. Thompson.

Venue & Address: 
Justina M. Barnicke Gallery 7 Hart House Circle Toronto, Ontario
Website: 
https://artmuseum.utoronto.ca/exhibition/hart-house-commission/
Phone: 
416.978.8398

Indigenous art concept by Tannis Nielsen selected for Lower Simcoe Underpass

Detail from Tannis Nielsen's concept
Monday, July 17, 2017

The City of Toronto has announced that artist Tannis Nielsen has been chosen to create artwork in the underpass for Lower Simcoe Street between Station Street and Bremner Boulevard.

Nielsen, who is of of Métis, Anishnaabe and Danish ancestry, is a lecturer at OCAD University in the Painting and Drawing program. She has 20 years of professional experience in the arts, cultural and community sectors and nine years of teaching practice at the post-secondary level.

The two-stage art call for this project was open to artists who identify as Indigenous persons. The goal of this project is to beautify and animate the underpass with a mural that celebrates the voices, creativity and continued impacts of Indigenous Peoples and is representative of the local, historical Indigenous perspective. Nielsen's artwork will transform the underpass into a celebrated community feature.  

The mural will be painted this summer and its completion will be celebrated at an official unveiling event later this fall. As part of the implementation process, Nielsen will invite and mentor young artists from the local Toronto Indigenous community.

Launched in 2012, StreetARToronto is an initiative of the Transportation Services Division and managed by the Public Realm Section.

Poster: 
Detail from Tannis Nielsen's concept

Honouring Tradition: Reframing Native Art

tannisnielsenimage
Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 5:00am to Sunday, July 13, 2008 - 4:00am

Glenbow museum in Calgary presents a group show, "Honouring Tradition: Reframing Native Art" which includes a video piece Nimin o aya’n / I have recovered by OCAD Drawing & Painting Instructor, Tannis Nielsen.

"In Nimin o aya’n / I have recovered, the disappearance and reappearance of my body reads as a metaphor of survival. The black paint spread over flesh - combined with the sounds of the train, serve as reference points of colonial westward expansion, and the intended erasure of My People.
The blackness of the paint transforms itself into oil, (a metaphor of blood), and my arms begin to echo the movements of vigorously, rotating steel wheels. The screaming sound of the train (in the first half of video) is made to be painfully un-bearable. The harshness of the pitch of sound, does not allow for anyone, else or “other” to be heard.
The latter half of this video depicts (our / my) recovery– I recover; reclaim my physical my thoughts, my spirit. Here - there is a profound silence; as winter blankets sound so too does this white paint - that allows for the act of remembering.

Poka Laenui, in his article titled “The Processes of De-colonization” teaches; that there are “five distinct phases of a peoples decolonization. They are (1) rediscovery and recovery, (2) mourning, (3) dreaming, (4) commitment, and (5) action.”

Rebirth, recovery, revitalization; this is my story and so it is titled Nimin o aya’n / I have recovered."

Venue & Address: 
Glenbow Museum 130 — 9 Avenue S.E., Calgary, Alberta
Email: 
glenbow@glenbow.org
Cost: 
Free