New Routes: threads across space and time

Raneece Buddan, AJA Louden, Garfield Morgan, and Elsa Robinson

Images (clockwise from top left): Raneece Buddan, The Birth of Brer Anansi, 2023, muslin cotton, acrylic paint, oil-based colour pencil, embroidery thread. Garfield Morgan, Yorubantu, 2025, oil acrylic and paper collage on canvas. Elsa Robinson, Glory, 2022, mixed media collage on birch panel. AJA Louden, Enoch’s Thistle, 2025, hand-tufted and carved tapestry. All images courtesy of the artists.

New Routes: threads across space and time
Raneece Buddan, AJA Louden, Garfield Morgan, and Elsa Robinson

September 19 – December 6, 2025
Opening Reception: September 18, 6 – 8pm
Online Artist Talk: October 2, 12 – 1pm
Mitchell Art Gallery, MacEwan University, Edmonton

New Routes: threads through space and time reflects Raneece Buddan, AJA Louden, Garfield Morgan, and Elsa Robinson’s investigations of how their paths as diasporic people connect their distinct artistic practices. The four artists share certain relationships to place: they all have Jamaican heritage and lived in Edmonton at the same time. Yet each of them has distinct personal and ancestral immigration stories that led to Treaty 6 territory at overlapping periods of time.

The works featured in the exhibition share common threads and reflect the ideas they shared together over nine months of conversation: diaspora, Jamaican culture and African heritage, reclaiming power and history, and being cultural conduits between their ancestors and descendants. Highly engaged with material and craft practices, the artworks in this exhibition span painting, ceramics, sculpture, fibre and textiles, including an artwork collaboratively created as part of their ongoing conversations.

Accompanying the exhibition is an essay by Yaniya Lee, who contributed to many of the artists’ conversations during the development of this project. Copies of the essay will be available in the gallery.

Related Programming

Opening Reception
Thursday, September 18, 6 – 8pm
Mitchell Art Gallery

Yaniya Lee Talk
Friday, September 19, 12 – 1pm
Roundhouse Event Space

Online Artist Talk with Raneece Buddan, AJA Louden, Garfield Morgan and Elsa Robinson
Thursday, October 2, 12 – 1pm
Online through Zoom

Drop-in Art-making with AJA Louden, Garfield Morgan and Elsa Robinson
Wednesday, October 29, 4 – 7pm
Mitchell Art Gallery

About Mitchell Art Gallery

The John and Maggie Mitchell Art Gallery is MacEwan University’s public art gallery dedicated to engaging timely conversations and community through contemporary art. The gallery supports interdisciplinary, experiential learning for the public and for the university community. Located in the heart of downtown Edmonton in MacEwan University’s Allard Hall, Mitchell Art Gallery programming also serves the local community through emphasizing safe, collaborative and relevant opportunities for learning and visual literacy development.

Mitchell Art Gallery
11-121, Allard Hall
MacEwan University
11110 – 104 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5K 1M9
www.MacEwan.ca/MitchellArtGallery
mitchellartgallery@macewan.ca

Instagram @mitchellartgallery

Accessibility:
The Mitchell Art Gallery and Allard Hall are accessible spaces with automatic doors, elevators, and accessible washrooms. Detailed accessibility information can be found on our website.

Image Description:
The image is split between detail shots of 4 artworks. Clockwise from top left: a geometric tapestry on off-white muslin featuring spider web motifs by Raneece Buddan, a detailed rug piece, featuring a bright pink and green thistle and golden electronic motifs by AJA Louden, a painting depicting a person’s head, constructed by a collage of photos of traditional wood sculptures, by Garfield Morgan, and lastly a painting featuring 3 black & gold figures against a blue background by Elsa Robinson.