Art Gallery of Burlington

September 12, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 12, 1 – 3pm | RSVP here

Helen Pelletier, Loch Lomond – For my Dad and Brothers (detail) 2023. Winter birchbark, spruce root, cedar, moose antler, deer hide. Photo: Chondon Photography. Courtesy of the artist.

The Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB) is excited to present Wiigwasitig / waskway / Honouring the Birch Tree, curated by Albany Sutherland featuring artists Pat Bruderer (Halfmoon Woman), Helen Pelletier, Amber Sandy, Seth Arcand, and the late Angelique Merasty, opening September 12, 2026, and running until January 3, 2027.

The public opening will take place on Saturday, September 12, 1 – 3pm with opening remarks from the curator and refreshments from Cedar Spoon Indigenous Catering.

Reflecting on themes of intergenerational knowledge and healing, Wiigwasitig / waskway / Honouring the Birch Tree includes the works of five First Nation artists focusing on birch bark (Wiigwas/waskway). Coming from Anishinaabeg and nêhiyawak communities over several generations, the exhibition features bark biting, baskets, film, photography, and wearable art, through an intersection of traditional and contemporary forms.

As Indigenous knowledge systems continue to be actively revitalized, Wiigwasitig / waskway creates space for cultural continuity by positioning the Gallery as a site for learning, exchange, and the ongoing presence of Indigenous ways of knowing within contemporary art contexts.

Amber Sandy, ‘The Mary’ Birchkin Bag, 2024. Birch bark, home tanned deer hide, dyed porcupine quills, seed beads, cotton lining, artificial sinew. Photo: Julie Riemersma Photography. Courtesy of the artist.

Each artist has strong community ties, as well as a deep connection to the materials they work with, highlighting their responsibility to Land through artistic practice. Angelique Merasty, among the few birch bark biters of her generation, preserved this vital cultural practice during a period when it risked being lost entirely. This legacy continues through Pat Bruderer, who creates intricate designs by folding and biting thin layers of harvested birch bark, and now teaches youth across the region. Helen Pelletier’s work contributes to the ongoing transmission of Anishinaabe knowledge, using artistic practice as a form of medicine and connection, informed by the sacred mountain Anemki Wajiw (Thunder Mountain) on Fort William First Nation, where she harvests annually. Amber Sandy, mentored in part by Pelletier, reflects this same intergenerational knowledge sharing through hide tanning, harvesting quills, and Wiigwas. Seth Arcand’s film and photography work similarly explores how Indigenous peoples interact with waskway, grounded in visiting and reciprocity to document the experiences of Indigenous people.

Together, their work highlights the cultural continuance of knowledge sharing through memory and relationality. While systems of cultural transmission have been disrupted, these artists are revitalizing Indigenous knowledge systems by sharing stories with future generations through making.

Wiigwasitig / waskway / Honouring the Birch Tree has been generously supported by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment and sponsored by The Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore. The Art Gallery of Burlington is supported by the City of Burlington and Ontario Arts Council. The AGB’s learning programming has been supported by Culture Days, incite Foundation for the Arts, and Canada Council for the Arts.

Pat Bruderer, Dragonfly Season, 2022. Birch bark. Photo: Nelson Museum Archives Gallery.

Exhibition Programming:

Birch Bark Etching with Helen Pelletier
Friday, September 11, 2026 | 6 – 8pm

Birch Bark Biting with Pat Bruderer (Halfmoon Woman)
Saturday, September 12, 2026 | 9:30 – 11:30am

Curatorial Tour with Albany Sutherland
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | 6:30 – 7:30pm
Free – Registration required

Working with Land-Based Materials: Artist Talk with Amber Sandy
Saturday, October 3, 2026 | 1 – 2pm

Events:

Contemporary Art Bus Tour
Saturday, September 19, 2026 | 2:30 – 8:30pm

Family Open Studios
Sundays, 1 – 4pm (drop-in)
September 20 – December 20, 2026
Free – No registration required

Gallery Guide Tours
Saturdays at 1pm (drop-in)
October 17, November 14, December 19, 2026
Free – Registration encouraged

About the Art Gallery of Burlington

The AGB is a hub for artistic excellence and community connection in downtown Burlington. The AGB presents thought-provoking exhibitions, hands-on learning opportunities, and public programs that invite visitors to see, think, and create in new ways. Home to the largest collection of contemporary Canadian ceramics in the world, the AGB champions a unique artistic perspective that challenges traditional boundaries and celebrates innovation.

The AGB is located on the ancestral territory of many Indigenous Nations including the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, and Métis peoples. The territory is mutually covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy, the Ojibway, and other allied Nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. We acknowledge that the land upon which we gather, to create and learn, is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.

Accessibility Information
The AGB is wheelchair accessible, and wheelchairs are available for loan within the Gallery space. The Lakeshore and Brock Lobby entrances are equipped with automatic doors. Ramps facilitate access throughout the Gallery, and an elevator is available for access to the second level studios. Service animals are permitted in the Gallery. The Gallery has gender-neutral washrooms and upholds that everyone has the right to safe public washroom access.

Art Gallery of Burlington
1333 Lakeshore Road
Burlington, ON L7S 1A9
www.agb.life
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Media Inquiries
Sarah Miserere, Manager of Development and Communications
Art Gallery of Burlington
905-632-7796 x 325
sarah@agb.life