Early Days: Indigenous Art from the McMichael Canadian Art Collection Comes to the Chrysler Museum of Art

NORFOLK, Va., May 2, 2024 – The Chrysler Museum of Art is pleased to announce renowned exhibition, Early Days: Indigenous Art from the McMichael Canadian Art Collection will be on view in the Special Exhibition Gallery at the Museum, One Memorial Pl, Norfolk from May 24–Sept. 1, 2024.

Early Days is the first large-scale survey of Indigenous art from Canada to be presented internationally. Organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in collaboration with Indigenous stakeholders—scholars, writers, knowledge keepers, and living artists—the exhibition includes historic and contemporary art from coast to coast.

Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun (b. 1957), New Climate Landscape (Northwest Coast Climate Change), 2019, Acrylic on canvas, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, purchase BMO Financial Group, 2020.10, Image courtesy of Sarah Macaulay & Co. Fine Art

The exhibition, which reveals the diversity and vitality of Indigenous art in Canada, features approximately 111 objects ranging from 18^th-century ceremonial regalia to the work of the vanguard artists of the ’60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. The show brings together traditional objects—beadwork garments, ceremonial masks, and stone carvings—in dialogue with contemporary Indigenous practices so visitors can discover the thriving traditions of First Nations groups from across Canada. Early Days features such artists as Norval Morrisseau, Carl Beam and Alex Janvier and includes leading contemporary Indigenous artists like Kent Monkman, Meryl McMaster and Rebecca Belmore. As the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to Canadian art, the McMichael’s collection offers a broad perspective on Indigenous art from Canada today, and the powerful tensions and continuities that exist between the present and the past.

“Early Days explores our relationship to the land, to our ancestors, and to each other. It invites a deep connection with the issues that lie at the heart of Indigenous experience, revealing cultures that are vibrant and transforming in the 21^st century. This exhibition, along with Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight in 2023, Clearly Indigenous coming in 2025, and the Tsenacommacah installation that graces the Museum’s entrance, are commitments to increasing Indigenous representation within the Chrysler Museum of Art,” said Chelsea Pierce, McKinnon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.

MEMBER PREVIEW CELEBRATION
Thursday, May 23, 2024, 6–9 p.m.
Exhibition preview of a rich selection of Indigenous works and stories that celebrate two centuries of powerful legacies in the McMichael’s Canadian Art Collection.
Free for members $20 for non-members

Dana Claxton (b. 1959), Headdress–Shadae, 2018, LED firebox with transmounted lightjet chromogenic transparency, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, purchase, BMO Financial Group, 2020.5, Image courtesy of the artist

Early Days is organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ont. and circulated by The Museum Box.

ABOUT THE MCMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION

Located in the village of Kleinburg just outside of Toronto, the McMichael is the only museum in Canada devoted exclusively to Canadian art. The gallery is surrounded by a network of outdoor trails, a sculpture garden and forty hectares of conservation land with breathtaking views of the Humber Valley. Its mission is to develop insightful and accessible exhibitions that explore Canada’s artistic past while also breaking new trail on the art of our time. As an institution, the McMichael was at the forefront of collecting Indigenous art as fine art beginning in the 1970s and continues to champion the work of leading Indigenous artists today.

ABOUT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART

The Chrysler Museum of Art brings art and people together through experiences that delight, inform, and inspire. Internationally recognized for its collection of more than 30,000 objects, including one the largest glass collections in America, the Museum also includes free admission, the state-of-the-art Perry Glass Studio, a full-service restaurant, shop, theater, works on paper space, and oversees the historic Myers House. The Museum boasts an ambitious schedule of exhibitions, events, and programs, and has been nationally recognized for its commitment to inclusion through its innovative gallery host program. For more information, visit chrysler.org. Follow on social media @ChryslerMuseum to receive the latest updates.

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For more information or interview assistance, please contact Tanya Kaish Keller, Public Relations Advisor, at The Meridian Group. 757-340-7425 | tanya@themeridiangroup.com.

High-resolution images and credits are available. Permission and credit are required for the use of all images, print or digital. Cropping may not be permitted on some images; see caption sheet if applicable.