Series Season: 2022

Moderator: Riley Kucheran   Speakers: Evan Ducharme, Korina Emmerich & Sadie Red Wing  Broadly speaking, “anti-fashion” is defined as fashion contrary to its present trends. Rather than creating fashion works that prioritize trends, Indigenous artists value ancestral knowledge and Indigenous issues. Continuing the path of sustainable representation, this panel discusses furthering anti-fashion within the Indigenous context […]

Moderator: Shawkay Ottmann  Speakers: Grandmother Pauline Shirt and Elder Mona Stonefish   Today, wearing an orange shirt is a prominent symbol that commemorates survivors and victims of the Indian Residential School System. This conversation with Pauline Shirt and Mona Stonefish, and moderated by Shawkay Ottmann, will explore the dichotomy of clothing as a tool that drives […]

Moderator: Celeste Pedri-Spade  Speakers: Waaseyaa’sin Christine Sy and Janelle Wawia  From an Indigenous perspective, the fur trade was not just a business. It was and is a way of life. Historically, Indigenous women were integral to the success of the fur trade. Their roles ranged from being trappers, tanners, artisans and traders to playing an […]

Moderator: Jason Ryle  Speaker: Kent Monkman   Fashion is at the centre of art, media, commerce and day-to-day life. Its influence can reinforce or liberate social constructs, artistic expression and cultural sovereignty. How? Fashion is a complex, exclusive and simultaneously accessible medium activated by the performance and performativity of its messenger, bringing attention to the […]

Moderator: Shayla Stonechild  Speakers: Adeline Bird, Kairyn Potts and Scott Wabano  From TikTok to online retail, new technologies transform the fashion industry to support diverse representation, propagate authentic expression and create accessible professional opportunities. Millennials, known for their technology use, and Gen Z, the first digital natives, thrive in this context. Still, broader Indigenous communities […]

Moderator: Riley Kucheran  Speakers: Justine Woods and Mandee McDonald   Indigenous Nations worldwide have sustained complex governance systems to manage their citizens and territories since time immemorial. Today, many Indigenous systems are gaining greater prominence and expanding colonial processes and communications notions in many industries. For example, Indigenous fashion systems often contrast the mainstream industry […]

Moderator: Kerry Swanson  Speakers: Devyani Saltzman, Dusty LeGrande & Justin Louis  Relationships are essential for any initiative: strong connections secure trust, confidence and commitment to mobilize a successful partnership. Moderated by seasoned fundraiser and IFA Development Consultant Kerry Swanson, this panel will explore the nuances of maintaining professional relationships, upholding one’s values, emphasizing reciprocity and […]

Join us for a four-day hands-on brain hide tanning workshop with Amber Sandy and Kanina Terry. Brain hide tanning is the art of preserving animal hides using emulsifying agents in the animal’s brain, which helps break up the membranes that cause animal hides to harden. Interestingly, each animal’s brain has enough enzymes for its own […]

Participants will learn two-needle applique beading and make medallion-stye earrings. In a “drop-in” style workshop, facilitator Rosary Spence will teach the class in English and James Bay Cree, teaching students essential words related to beading. Participants interested in deeper learning are encouraged to view the IFA Digital and On-Demand programming and “Let’s Make Moccasins” videos […]

This introductory workshop on applique for regalia will let you try traditional applique methods for Pow Wow regalia. The ways are raw edge (or zig zag) and free-motion embroidery. Rhonda Doxtator will lead participants through the process of design and colour selection, which is significant in regalia making. Participants will choose their favourite method to […]

Indigenous-led and in collaboration with several partners, the 2022 IFA Festival features over 100 Indigenous artists and designers. It offers audiences an opportunity to connect with a diversity of contemporary cultural expressions. This year’s curatorial theme is Walking with Light, a journey with our community and our relational undercurrents of visionaries, stewards, knowledge keepers and […]

Experience the beauty of music from the past with this intimate chamber concert featuring members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Presented with introductions from the musicians, this program features music connected to Tafelmusik’s Music Director Emerita Jeanne Lamon, who passed away in June 2021. Tafelmusik’s presentation of Baroque and Beyond is supported by The McLean Foundation. Handel, Sonata […]

In this short and sweet course, students will be introduced to the art of hand quilting. From choosing the fabrics and patterns to sewing and stuffing, we will cover all the basics of hand quilting through the project of creating a hand quilted pillow by the end of the course. Techniques and information covered include: […]

In this introductory workshop, students will learn the beginner ins and outs of eco-printing and the art of printing with nature. Collect leaves in the area around the studio or bring your own plant life in, and we will explore various eco-printing methods and how they are used. Coming away from this workshop, students will […]

In this one-day workshop, students learn how to make screen positives, coat and shoot silkscreens. Students take home their own original screen prints at the end of the day. No experience necessary. 

Bring in your damaged and aged textiles and learn various techniques to repair your clothing! This workshop will cover multiple repair techniques and focus on those specific to the piece you need to fix. You’ll leave the course with new knowledge of sustainability in clothing and a unique repaired textile piece!

Students will learn how to prepare screen positives, coat and shoot silkscreens during this five-week course. The course covers a more in-depth approach to silkscreen printing, exploring how to make one-and-two-coloured screen prints. Students work on a self-directed project which may include printing cards, posters, T-shirts, or clothing. No experience necessary. 

This workshop focuses on exploring stitched shibori techniques and patterns. We will cover multiple beginner techniques to create your own silk pieces. This workshop is a space for students to experiment with this Japanese textile technique and come away with several different designs to go forward with.

In this beginner workshop, the students will be introduced to six new embroidery stitches and learn how to combine and utilize them in future projects. This workshop is a great way to learn a new technique and the special tricks to make it fun and successful. Students will come away from this experience with a […]

Celebrating strength, resilience, and virtuosity; Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre presents VERGE. This exhilarating mixed-program presents World Premieres by internationally acclaimed choreographers Jennifer Archibald, Charlotte Boye-Christensen, and features a new creation by Artistic Director Deborah Lundmark set to live jazz music by Thompson Egbo-Egbo. The performance also includes audience favourites ARENA (2009) by Colin Connor, featuring […]

The love, betrayal and revenge of real people stretched to the limits of human feeling by real life. Intense and beautiful music. Great pathos and dramatic tension flow from Mascagni’s achingly beautiful score in this quintessential verismo opera about the fateful events that take place on an Easter Sunday under the Sicilian sun. After Turiddu […]

The Art of Time Ensemble and Writers Collective of Canada invite you to experience the transformative and healing aspects of writing, of creativity. We hope the personalities and respective experiences of these writers will grab your imagination as it has for ours. How can writing transform a life? Of the writer, of the listener?  How […]

A new global film celebrating our soul connections to each other across the world during the pandemic. Direction, Choreography and Music by Peter ChinEditing by Henry Mak & Peter Chin  With the collaboration and performances ofMarina Acevedo (Mexico)Oos Koswara (Indonesia)Chanborey Soy and Chy Ratana (Cambodia)Andrea Nann, Bonnie Kim, Heidi Strauss, Naishi Wang, Jake Ramos, Tanveer […]

The critically acclaimed Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company returns to the stage with Ayer y Hoy, Celebrating 40 Years! Esmeralda Enrique’s renowned flamenco dance company has been an integral part of Toronto’s dance and theatre culture for the past 40 years and celebrates a triumphant return to the stage after a long absence. Ayer y Hoy (Yesterday […]