AHVA Initiative Received Indigenous Strategic Initiatives Fund



Contemporary Coast Salish wool weaving featuring traditional blanket and basketry patterns, as well as dogs, ferns, canoes, and whales. Woven by Betty Pasco (Suquamish Tribe), on display at the University of Washington’s Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture.

The Department initiative, Indigenous Art History Toolkit Project, has received a $66,000 grant from the Indigenous Strategic Initiatives (ISI) Fund at UBC. Former department head Dana Claxton invited Alexandra Peck, Assistant Professor and Audain Chair in Historical Indigenous Art, and Yasmin Amaratunga, Curator of Collections, to lead this project.

The Indigenous Strategic Initiatives (ISI) Fund supports implementation of the Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP). Funds are available to support projects that advance UBC’s ISP across both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. 

The Indigenous Art History Toolkit Project will culminate in an interactive, comprehensive online “toolkit” where AHVA faculty, staff, and students can easily access important protocols, best practices, and guidelines related to teaching and interacting with Indigenous art from local Coast Salish perspectives. 

This generous funding ensures hiring Indigenous advisors, web designers, artists, and Work Learn students to assist with the project and lend valuable expertise. 

Project Title: AHVA Indigenous Art Toolkit: Advancing Indigenous Principles and Knowledge in Visual Art, Art History, and Critical & Curatorial Studies 

Stream: Innovative Projects (Stream 1)

Principal Applicant: Alexandra Peck

Co-Principal Investigators: Yasmin Amaratunga, Camille Georgeson-Usher, Althea Thauberger, and Roxanne Tremblay (AHVA alumna and incoming MLIS student)