Rebecca Belmore, Ayum-ee-aawach Oomama-mowan: Speaking to Their Mother, 1991. Gathering, Banff National Park, Banff, Alberta, 1991. Photo: Monte Greenshields. Courtesy of Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Purchased with the support of the York Wilson Endowment Award, administered by the Canada Council for the Arts Accession #P08 0001 S
We welcome you to an activation of Rebecca Belmore’s iconic work, Ayum-ee-aawach Oomama-mowan: Speaking to Their Mother. Special guests have been invited to speak, sing, or perform in any expression through this monumental sculpture that amplifies sound across the land. Audiences are also welcome to express themselves or listen and witness. A response to the Kanyen’kehà:ka Resistance of 1990 (Oka Crisis), the sculpture was made and first animated in Banff in 1991 at a gathering on Johnson Lake. The work and artist travelled the country from reservations to the steps of parliament providing a space for First Nations to express their love, grief, dreams, songs and more during a time when they were fighting for their rights.
This special gathering is the third to take place in Banff National Park. The artist is unable to be present and selected curator, writer, and community organizer Wanda Nanibush to host on her behalf. A potent tool and symbol of amplification and of protest, we invite you to speak to the land.
Walter Phillips Gallery would like to acknowledge the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Government of Canada, and Government of Alberta.
Parking is extremely limited at Two Jack Lake, and no parking is reserved for event attendees. The parking lot at Two Jack Lake is often full by 9 a.m. – if full, you may be turned away. There is absolutely no roadside parking. Accessible parking is available in the parking lot but not reserved for this event. Please keep this in mind as you plan your attendance. We strongly encourage guests to consider taking public transport via the Roam Transit Route 6 or taking a cab.