Estuaries

Denise Ferreira da Silva and Arjuna Neuman, 4 Waters-Deep Implicancy, 2018, video still, courtesy of the Artists. © Denise Ferreira da Silva and Arjuna Neuman, 2024

Estuaries

October 5 – December 15, 2024
Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University

Curator: Joana Joachim

Estuaries form when freshwater rivers meet the ocean and become slightly salty. The Atlantic is the saltiest of the five ocean basins. It is also the body of water across which more than 30,000 ships carried over twelve million abducted Africans into slavery through the lethal crossing known as the Middle Passage. These ships returned laden with goods produced through the forced labour of Black captives. John Owens, eponym of the Owens Art Gallery, was a successful shipbuilder, as was his executor, Robert Reed. Using funds from Owens’ estate, Reed worked with artist John Hammond to develop a teaching collection now housed at the Owens Art Gallery.

The Maritimes, like the rest of Canada, profited from shipbuilding and colonial economies linked to transatlantic slavery and trade. Meanwhile, Black histories in New Brunswick and elsewhere were systematically washed away. To this day, the histories and contributions of small Black communities in New Brunswick and across Canada are overlooked due to their size, their seemingly limited archival presence, and, in some cases, the common, inaccurate belief that they simply do not exist. Estuaries floats in the space between these facts, musing on Black diasporic peoples’ relationship to the ocean. Featuring artworks by both contemporary and historical artists, as well as archival documents and artifacts, it contends with the tensions that arise once we allow the freshwater river of Canadian history to meet the ocean of Black Atlantic life.

Related Programming:

Poetry Reading with Sylvia D. Hamilton and Amatoritsero Ede
October 4, 4:00 – 5:30 pm

Vernissage
October 4, 5:30 – 7:30 pm

Panel Discussion with Sylvia D. Hamilton, Joana Joachim, Thandiwe McCarthy and David Woods
October 5, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Oluseye, Black Ark, 2022, polished aluminum, burnt wood, soil, 365.8 x 304.8 x 128.9 cm. © Oluseye, 2024

We would like to acknowledge that the Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University, is located within the traditional territory of Mi’kma’ki, the unceded ancestral homelands of the Mi’kmaq. Our relationship and our privilege to live on this territory was agreed upon in the Peace and Friendship Treaties of 1725 to 1752. Because of this treaty relationship, it is to be acknowledged that we are all Treaty People and have a responsibility to respect this territory.

This exhibition was made possible thanks to funding from the Canada Council for the Arts and the New Brunswick Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture. It received special support from the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (Halifax), the Centre for Canadian Studies (Mount Allison University), the Department of English (Mount Allison University), and the Faculty of Fine Arts (Concordia University).

Owens Art Gallery
Mount Allison University
61 York Street Sackville, NB, E4L 1E1 • 506-364-2574
owens@mta.ca
www.owensartgallery.com
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Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Admission is Free

The Owens is partially accessible. The stairs from the entrance nearest the University Chapel have a handrail. There is also ramp access at this entrance, however, the ramp is steep. The stairs to the entrance off York Street have a handrail, but no ramp, and are covered with temporary wood treads. The main floor of the Owens is wheelchair accessible. Our second-floor gallery and gendered bathrooms are located in the basement and are not accessible. Two flights of stairs lead to each of these floors. LED lights are used throughout the building. The Owens welcomes guide dogs and other service animals. The closest accessible parking spaces are located on York Street across from the Owens. For detailed information on venue access, please visit our Accessibility page. If you would like to visit the Owens at a quieter time, or when all staff and visitors are masked, private visits can be arranged from 9:00-10:00 am on weekdays.

If you have any questions about your visit, please email owens@mta.ca or call (506) 364-2574.