Nyle Miigizi Johnston. Diiyah Muh'gaanag (Our First Family), 2018. Oil on vinyl, cut vinyl. Commissioned by the Art Gallery of Ontario, 2018 © Nyle Miigizi Johnston
Located on the second floor in gallery 231, the Jennings Young Gallery.
Admission is always FREE for AGO Members, AGO Annual Pass Holders & Visitors 25 and under. Learn more.
“The truth about stories is, that's all we are.”– Thomas King
The Jennings Young gallery in the J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous & Canadian Art is a place for storytelling. Storytelling is a central aspect of many cultures, a way to introduce new ideas, teach ways of being, record history, interpret events and understand the world. Stories show us our humanity and provide us with the imagination to reinvent ourselves and our future. The beauty, the challenge, the transformation, the lessons and the freedom of stories show us who we are and who we can be. Now featuring original works by artist and storyteller Nyle Miigizi Johnson, the Jennings Young gallery is a space for visitors to pause, listen and reflect on the words of Anishinaabe Water Walker Josephine Mandamin, the Mittimatalik Arnait Miqsuqtuit Collective (a women's sealskin sewing/digital archive group based in Nunavut), and interviews with Shelley Niro and Rick Hill.
Nyle Miigizi Johnston’s Diiyah Muh’gaanag (Our First Family) is a collection of images of spiritual beings, plants and animals based on Anishinaabe teachings. Drawn in a pictographic style, they tell stories of botany, astrology and the interconnectedness of all living things.
