The Edmonton Sun n Thursday, June 21, 2012

ABORIGINAL ALBERTA

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Hands-on history
Calgary museum instrumental in heritage renewal
videoconferencing software and allows museum educators and classrooms to interact and learn more about First Nations cultures and history in a modern way. Glenbow also works to present contemporary perspectives on First Peoples communities through relevant visual art exhibitions, educational programming and special events. Glenbows art collection features many examples of important work by First Nations artists like Norval Morrisseau, Alex Janvier, Joane CardinalSchubert and Gerald Tailfeathers. Several contemporary First Nations artists works have been presented at the museum in recent years including Kent Monkman and Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas. In 2010 Glenbow participated in a homecoming for five Blackfoot Shirts in collaboration with Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford University, which brought back to Western Canada these sacred hide Through programming, exhibitions, collections and community outreach projects, Glenbow Museum strives to encourage connections between First Peoples and their ancestry, heritage and culture. Glenbows rich collections ranging from Inuit, Plains, West Coast, Metis and other First Peoples from across North America encourage special interaction and education opportunities for many First Nations communities across Canada. First Nations history is a critical component of the curriculum in Alberta. Hands-on interaction with artifacts and a broad range of related school programs bring close to 50,000 students to the museum every school year. Communities outside of the immediate Calgary area also benefit from Glenbows educational programming. The distance learning program launched in 2009 and connects remote and rural communities to the museum through shirts that were acquired over 150 years ago by the Hudsons Bay Company. In addition to a public exhibition, several private workshops were held that enabled many Blackfoot communities to engage with these important sacred artifacts. Initiatives like these create a bridge to link past events and stories with contemporary lives to help create community memory for the First Peoples, said Kirstin Evenden, president and CEO of Glenbow Museum. These shirts embody ancient stories and histories of the Blackfoot people, and are considered important curriculum as they help teach the Blackfoot people about their place and roles within the world. Glenbow Musuem greatly values the role it plays in the community to educate visitors about the importance of First Nations art and culture and is very proud of the partnerships and relationships it holds with the First Nations communities. Supplied

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Glenbow Museum is actively working to create bridges linking past events and stories with contemporary lives to help create community memory for First Peoples.

Celebrating Canadas First Peoples

On National Aboriginal Day we celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and the signicant contributions of Canadas First Nations, Metis and Inuit.
For decades ATCO has worked in partnership with Canadas Aboriginal Peoples. Our Consultation practices, joint venture agreements, partnerships, community investments and training programs demonstrate our ongoing commitment to Aboriginal Peoples.

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