It’s the last First Thursday of the season, and we’re celebrating two distinct but not unrelated events at the Art Gallery of Ontario: The debut of Tunirrusiangit: Kenojuak Ashevak and Tim Pitsiulak, our major exhibition of contemporary Inuit art, and the opening of the newly renovated J.S. McLean Centre of Indigenous & Canadian Art.

These two special events bring a new opportunity to acknowledge Indigenous, Inuit and Canadian histories, and we have invited a number of cross-disciplinary artists from the community to lead the way.

Mob Bounce, a northwest coast Native hip-hop duo featuring Crazy Craig, aka The Northwest Kid (Gitxsan), and Heebz the Earthchild (Cree/Metis), will take over Walker Court. With sounds that blend acoustic musicianship, electronics and elements of their Indigenous culture, and a focus on creating social and environmental awareness through the arts, the space will thunder with beats of power and urgency.

Mob Bounce is co-presented by RPM, Revolutions Per Minute, a global new music platform for Indigenous music culture. Its mission is to build a visionary community of revolutionary Indigenous artists and to introduce Indigenous music to  new audiences across Turtle Island and around the world.

Expanding on her role as co-curator of the Tunirrusiangit exhibition, Taqralik Partridge will perform live on First Thursday. Taqralik is a multidisciplinary artist and writer originally from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik in Northern Quebec. Also performing live in the newly re-opened and re-named McLean Centre of Indigenous and Canadian art are Cree musician and playwright Cliff Cardinal and  Anishinaabe musician and artist Dave Deleary.

You will also have an opportunity to hear more about the art on display at the AGO from Wanda Nanibush, our Curator of Indigenous Art, and Georgiana Uhlyarik, the Fredrik S. Eaton Curator, Canadian Art, enjoy additional sounds by DJ Jams and DJ Ariel, take away an original poster designed specific for this program by Chief Lady Bird, see one-of-a-kind selection of artworks from Out of the Vaults and so much more. 

For all the latest details on First Thursdays programming, follow #AGO1st on Twitter and Instagram.