Dazhiikigaadeg Maanendamowin: Wanichigewin gaye Wiijiiwidiwin gii-ayaag COVID-19 / Transforming Grief: Loss & Togetherness in COVID-19 Exhibition at Fort York in Tkaronto/Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 24 March 2023 - 7 January 2024

Abstract

This viewpoint is a participatory reflection and response to the exhibition Dazhiikigaadeg Maanendamowin: Wanichigewin gaye Wiijiiwidiwin gii-ayaag COVID-19 / Transforming Grief: Loss Togetherness in COVID-19, displayed at Fort York in Tkaronto/Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from March 2023 to January 2024. A graduate class from the University of Toronto visited the exhibition as part of the Winter 2023 ischool Information Management course ‘Museums, Archives and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’, taught by Phillips. This piece includes observations and photographs from the students, as well as details of the process of creating and curating the exhibit from Armando Perla and Raven Spiratos, former-Curator for Toronto History Museums and exhibit curator (respectively). The content from the course discussions, readings, and assignments are put into conversation with this innovative community-based exhibition, giving students a rich understanding of ways to prioritize the needs of communities to activate decolonizing, Indigenizing, and new ways of thinking about museums, galleries, and archives.

Keywords

• participatory museums, decolonizing museums, indigenizing museums, community-centred exhibition processes, lgbttqi+