Textiles, sculptures, paintings on display Sunday for Red Dress Day
Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council hosts art art show at Aqsarniit hotel in Iqaluit
Last year, Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council held a march in Iqaluit for Red Dress Day, seen above. This year, instead of a march there will be an art exhibit showing up to 15 pieces from Nunavummiut artists that reflect the occasion. Red Dress Day is meant to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit peoples across Canada. (Photo by David Lochead)
People in Iqaluit will have the chance to see new work by Nunavummiut artists to mark Red Dress Day this weekend.
The day, held on May 5, is meant to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, LGBTQ and two-spirit people across Canada. The 2S stands for “two-spirit,” a term that’s specific to queer Indigenous identities.
The art show in Iqaluit is hosted by Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council, an advisory group that supports women, girls and gender-diverse people in Nunavut.
Up to 15 pieces of art will be displayed, including textiles, paintings and sculptures, at the Aqsarniit hotel from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on May 5, said Cate MacLeod, executive director of Qulliit.
The event is open to the public.
“It’s really an array of things artists have been inspired to create,” she said, adding the pieces reflect the feeling of hardship for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, but also provide hope.
The exhibit is part of the Qulliit project announced last year called RED, which stands for: Remember, Educate, Dedicate.
In previous years, Qulliit has organized a march on Red Dress Day but this year the council is focusing on art, MacLeod said.
In terms of goals beyond the event, she said Qulliit continues to advocate for the federal and territorial governments to follow the 46 Inuit-specific calls for justice from the final report of the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
In Ottawa, Tungasuvvingat Inuit will hold a candlelight vigil on May 3 at Annie Pootoogook Park from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. to mark Red Dress Day.
May 5th already got a holiday it’s called CINCO DA MAYO . 1 Margarita.please !
Hopefully one year these marches will work, and aboriginal people will stop killing each other, and dysfunctional people will start advising their relatives of their travel plans. Just a little more marching and it will all work out.
May the missing and murdered men also be remembered.
Stop with this trying to insert sexuality into every issue facing women & girls. There is a time and place to focus on LGBT issues, and Red Dress/MMIWG Day is not that time nor place.
Red Dress Day is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People.
“The day, held on May 5, is meant to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, LGBTQ and two-spirit people across Canada. The 2S stands for “two-spirit,” a term that’s specific to queer Indigenous identities.” is referencing the acronym MMIWG2S, but failed to add that acronym into the article.
Yes, originally it was just MMIW, but G and 2S were added to include girls and those who identify as two-spirit, a term used only Indigenous groups.
You are focused on the sexuality aspect.
Bring the focus back to the issue – a national tragedy of epic proportions of racialized and gendered violence inflicted on Indigenous peoples in Canada
Thanks for the pointless moral lecture.
You completely missed the point I made.
This day is about women & girls, and has nothing to do with sexuality. Stop trying to inject settler politics into Indigenous issues.
‘Corrected Context’ meets ‘Umingmak’; or woke meets woke.
There shouldn’t be a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It’s very theme is racist and reeks of privilege.
After all, which member of the general public needs to be made aware of specific missing people? What will this supposedly-heightened level of awareness accomplish among the newly-enlightened?
Should we become vigilante for a type of person who is targeting indigenous women and girls? Where might we find them? What do they look like? What should we do if we find one of these people who seek to inflict harm to indigenous women and girls?