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Radical Stitch will be the most significant exhibition of contemporary Indigenous beading across North America ever presented.

Beading is one of the defining mediums of contemporary Indigenous art on this continent, and this landmark exhibition will bring much needed critical attention to the breadth and impact of this practice. The exhibition looks at the contemporary and transformative context of beading through the aesthetic innovations of artists and the tactile beauty of beads.

Radical Stitch looks at the contemporary and transformative context of beading through the aesthetic innovations of artists and the tactile beauty of beads. Beading materials and techniques are rooted in both culturally informed traditions and cultural adaptation, and function as a place of encounter, knowledge transfer, and acts of resistance. Connecting to a tradition of making, exercised over thousands of years, this skill-based practice ties one artist to another, past to present and beyond. The exhibition includes a range of work from the customary to the contemporary, with a variety of approaches, concepts, and purposes. Gathering together top artists from across North America/Turtle Island, the selected pieces exemplify current and future directions of some of the most exciting and impressive practices. The works in Radical Stitch invite viewers to immerse themselves in the political, creative, and aesthetic dimensions of beadwork.

Teacher’s Resource Guide:  Radical Stitch PDF

Encoding Culture: The Works of Barry Ace: Heffel PDF

Barry Ace is represented by Heffel Galleries (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver).

Press

CBC: Largest contemporary Indigenous beading exhibit in North America comes to Hamilton

Innovating Canada: Beauty in the Beads: Radical Bead Artists From Indigenous Communities Take Centre Stage

Regina Leader-Post: Landmark collection of Indigenous beadwork opens at MacKenzie Art

CBC: North America’s largest Indigenous modern beadwork exhibit opens in Regina

Globe and Mail: At Regina’s Mackenzie Art Gallery, one of the largest ever exhibitions of beadwork

Global News: North America’s largest beadwork exhibition, Radical Stitch, on display in Regina

Eagle Feather News: The Mackenzie Art Gallery celebrates Indigenous beading

Galleries West: Radical Stitch ‘Big ass’ bead show demonstrates cultural reclamation