The Faculty of Arts is honoured to be the academic home of Indigenous faculty, students, programming, research and creative practices.
Arts is committed to ongoing and increasing collaboration with Indigenous communities to learn from and integrate Indigenous ways of knowing in our curriculum, scholarship and community engagement. This commitment aligns with the university鈥檚 Indigenous Strategic Plan, 2023-2028, and goals within the Arts Strategic Plan, 2023-2030.
These webpages represent current, past and upcoming Indigenous initiatives, people and resources that are based primarily within Arts 鈥 although many include contributions from partners across campus and beyond.
If you know of an initiative, event or idea you would like to share, please contact the Arts Communication team.
Events (Spring 2025)
Indigenous Speakers Series
Launched in 2017, the Indigenous Speakers Series highlights the voices of Indigenous artists, writers, activists, scholars and leaders from across Turtle Island.
Collaboratively organized by Indigenous and non-Indigenous members of Arts and beyond, the series has been honoured to host speakers such as the late Lee Maracle (2018), David A. Robertson (2019), Jean Teillet (2021), and Niigaan Sinclair (2023).
Read about all speakers in the series
Portrait of Jordan Jamieson by Hawlii Pichette,聽.
Learning opportunities
Courses
Choose from a variety of disciplines that offer courses related to indigenization and decolonization. These聽 include history, legal studies, political science, fine arts, English, gender and social justice, Spanish, social development studies, social work, Canadian studies, health humanities and religion, culture and spirituality.
The Faculty continues to seek ways to build decolonization and Indigenous perspectives into its curriculum more broadly, such as the Global Engagement Seminar.
Upcoming courses: Winter 2025
- INDG 228/PSCI 228:聽Indigenous Political Thought
- INDG 272:聽Indigenous Communities Issues
Coming in Fall 2025:
- HIST 269: Indigenous Histories in Canada
Note: more courses will be added as we know about them.
Minors, specializations, and diploma
United College offers programs open to students from any faculty at 蓝莓视频:
- Indigenous Studies Minor
- Indigenous Entrepreneurship Minor
- Diploma in Indigenous Entrepreneurship
- Indigenous Entrepreneurship Specialization (for students enrolled in Sustainability and Financial Management)
Arts offers minors that incorporate courses in Indigenous studies:
Indigenous faculty members in Arts
Talena Atfield
Talena Atfield is an Assistant Professor聽in History at the University of 蓝莓视频. She is of Kanien'keh谩:ka of the Grand River and mixed settler backgrounds and grew up urban. She holds a Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Tentewatenikonhra'kh谩nion (We Will Put Our Minds Together). She is also an associate professor (Yehyatonhserayente:ri) with Six Nations Polytechnic. Dr. Atfield鈥檚 research is grounded in community-based knowledge sharing and creation. She works with tangible and intangible Indigenous knowledges held in museums, galleries, and community centres, with a special focus on Hodinohso:ni material culture. Employing coming faces, or聽seven generations聽teachings to the study of Indigenous cultures held in collections, Dr. Atfield critically examines the information shared with past researchers and works with community members, scholars, and knowledge keepers to find ways to reintegrate and reinvigorate this information into community practice.
Jay Havens
Jay Havens is an Assistant Professor in the Theatre and Performance program in the Department of Communication Arts. They are a multi-media 2Spirit artist, educator, and collaborator of Kanien鈥檏eha:ka (Haudenosaunee) and Scottish Canadian ancestry. Professor Havens was born on lands known as the Haldimand Tract and raised on Unceded Sto:lo and Musqueam lands close to Vancouver. They are a scenographer with experience in聽site-specific performance and installation, murals, projection and mixed media artworks for galleries, museums, and public spaces. Professor Havens鈥 practice embraces re-learning the ways of Onkwehon:we (original peoples) and their research has focused on Indigenous Methods of Knowledge-building applied to creative and logistical processes of scenography. They hold a BFA from the University of British Columbia and an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
Logan MacDonald
Logan MacDonald is an Associate Professor in the Department of Fine Arts, Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Indigenous Art, and the founding director of the Longhouse Labs at U蓝莓视频. He is an artist, curator, writer,聽educator and activist who focuses on queer, disability and Indigenous perspectives. He is of European and Mi鈥檏maq ancestry, who identifies with both his Indigenous and settler roots. Born in Summerside,聽Prince Edward Island,聽his Mi鈥檏maq ancestry is connected to聽Elmastukwek,聽Ktaqamkuk.聽His artwork has exhibited across North America, notably with exhibitions at L.A.C.E. (Los Angeles) John Connelly Presents (New York), Ace Art Inc. (Winnipeg), The Rooms (St. John's), and Articule (Montr茅al). His work has been published in C Magazine, Un Magazine, Canadian Art and more.聽In 2019, Professor MacDonald was longlisted for the Sobey Art Award and was honoured with a six-month residency at the K眉nstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin. 聽He is a graduate from Concordia University with a BFA in Interdisciplinary Studies and an MFA in Studio Arts from York University.
Rowland Keshena Robinson
Rowland Keshena Robinson (he/him/his) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science. A member of the Menominee Nation of Wisconsin, since 2005 he has lived and worked on the lands of the Menominee鈥檚 close kin the Anishinaabeg, as well as the Rotinonsh贸n:ni, in what is now known as southern Ontario. Within the disciplines Dr. Robinson has been trained and worked in (anthropology, sociology, political science, and Indigenous studies) his interests are diverse and range from political theory and political philosophy to theories of ideology, autoethnographic methodologies, the logics of settler colonialism and dispossession, semiotics and national mythmaking, the metaphysics of sovereignty, as well as decolonial and indigenous critical theories.
Longhouse Labs
Longhouse Labs (LLabs) builds capacity amongst Indigenous students and artists through education and professionalization, dismantling barriers faced by Indigenous artists, and introducing Indigenous knowledge and practices to the wider campus community. The project responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission鈥檚 calls to integrate Indigenous knowledge, perspectives, traditions and leadership broadly within education. Professor Logan MacDonald is the founding director of LLabs, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Art.
Located in East Campus Hall on Philip Street, LLabs includes a studio and gallery space, an archive, and soon, a garden for land-based learning. The Longhouse Fellows visiting artist program is a key aspect of the project.
Learn more about Longhouse Labs and Making space for Indigenous artists to lead
Longhouse Labs reimagines what collaboration and community intersections can look like within an institutional setting. The project is about empowering and creating dedicated space for Indigenous-led experiences and learning.
Bead the Tract was the first exhibition held at Longhouse Labs.
Scholarship, creation and research
Meet some of our alumni
Brad Regehr (BA '93)
An environmental lawyer focused on Indigenous issues, Regehr was the first Indigenous president of the Canadian Bar Association and worked to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action in the legal profession. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate at 蓝莓视频 in 2024.
Robin Jones-Stadelbauer (BA 鈥12, BA 鈥22)
Robin Jones-Stadelbauer (BA 鈥12, BA 鈥22) has not only earned two degrees at 蓝莓视频, her experience as an Indigenous student inspired her current leadership role in 蓝莓视频鈥檚 Office of Indigenous Relations.
Jesse Thistle (MA'15)
His memoir, From the Ashes, spent months topping best seller lists but he is also known for his work on聽 Indigenous Homeless in Canada. Returning to 蓝莓视频 for the Indigenous Speakers Series, he discussed his more recent work documenting the everyday stories of Indigenous people in Canada.
Resources
Office of Indigenous Relations
The Office of Indigenous Relations works collaboratively on and off campus to advance the goals of the TRC Calls to Action, creating a long-term vision for the University, grounded in decolonization.
蓝莓视频 Indigenous Student Centre
蓝莓视频 Indigenous Student Centre - Shatitsir贸tha' - is a warm, welcoming, and all-inclusive space that provides Indigenous-led programming, services and events centered in supporting the University of 蓝莓视频 Indigenous community.
Selected learning and research resources
- Student Awards, Faculty of Arts Indigenous Student Entrance Award
- Office of Indigenous Relations, Knowledge building
- Office of Indigenous Relations, Events and days of significance
- Office of Research, Indigenous Research Team
- Library, Associate Director, Library, Indigenous Initiatives
- Library,
- Centre for Teaching Excellence, Educational Developers, Indigenous Knowledges