Visitor Tour Program

 

July 31, 2026

Call for Submissions: Indigenous Artists Invited to Participate in Exhibition at Manitoba Legislative Building

Winnipeg, MB – The Manitoba Legislative Assembly is inviting submissions from Indigenous artists across the province for its second Indigenous art exhibition, to be held in the heart of the Legislative Building in Winnipeg.

Titled Momentum, the exhibition will occupy the central space of the building. The exhibition will run for four weeks, with an opening reception on Thursday, March 4, 2027.
In reflecting on the settler-colonial legacies which largely shape contemporary institutions on this land some few centuries after first contact, it is crucial to consider, how do we move through these spaces? Momentum is an invitation to reflect on the viewer’s relationality to movement on, across and in relation to this land. Works featured in this exhibition will explore ideas of inertia, force, restraint, immobilization, friction, and reciprocating motion in reaction to settler-colonial contact.

Themes for art submissions may include:

• Water systems
• Seasonal transitions
• Animal migration
• Trading routes
• Spirituality
• Ceremonial practices
• Indigenous land mapping
• Transportation technologies and their implications (e.g. train, ship)
• Directional movement across land (North-South, East-West)
• Other

Seven works will be selected for the exhibition. Artists are encouraged to interpret the topic and themes through their own unique lens and may submit pieces of any medium, including beading, painting, sculpture, carving, multimedia, or other. Artists may submit multiple pieces for consideration.
The initial selection committee is comprised of:

• Dave Shuttleworth, Sergeant-at-Arms of the Legislative Assembly, member of the Minegoziibe Anishinabe, of the Wolf Clan and son of the Bear Clan.
• Rick Yarish, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, settler of Ukrainian, Polish, Irish and Scottish heritage.
• Claire Normandeau, Curator of the exhibition and Manager of the Legislative Assembly Visitor Tour Program, Red River Métis, settler French, English, and Scottish.
• Shay Jolicoeur, Indigenous Tour Officer with the Visitor Tour Program, Red River Métis.

An advisory committee comprised of seven elders from across the province and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly will be consulted in the selection process.
Selected artists will be invited to the exhibition opening Thursday, March 4, 2027.
They will be asked to participate in a short video highlighting their work in context with the exhibition. Each selected artist will be paid an honorarium of $813 for their participation in the exhibition.

Submission Requirements:

• High-quality photos of the artwork.
• Title of the work.
• Year of creation.
• Artwork dimensions.
• A written (max. 250 words) or video (max. 2 minutes) description of the work.
• A written (max. 500 words) or video (max. 4 minutes) artist biography.
• A self-declaration of Indigenous heritage.

Notes for submissions:
*If your submission is not selected for this exhibition, please note that your contact details will be retained for future Legislative exhibitions and opportunities.

Submissions should be sent to the Manitoba Legislative Assembly Exhibitions Team at:
exhibitions@mbassembly.ca by October 4, 2026.

The Manitoba Legislative Assembly is an independent body, distinct from the Government of Manitoba.

This initiative marks an important step in the Assembly’s ongoing journey toward Truth and Reconciliation and in the recognition of Indigenous voices in the province’s cultural and legislative landscapes.