About
Ahkwayaonhkeh is located on the Nionwentsïo, an unceded Wendat territory.
Mission
Ahkwayaonhkeh is the very first Wendat artist-run centre, located on the Nionwentsïo. Its mission is to promote, develop and disseminate current Wendat artistic practices. The goal is to support today's artists and promote their interests, but above all, to create a legacy for the younger generations and those to come, who will benefit from an organization dedicated to them.
In addition to its exhibition program, the center will offer animation and training activities, conferences, publications, a documentation center, and provide artists with advice to enhance their creative process and their access to the art world. It will set up residency programs, as well as other partnerships focused on the development of artistic innovations and the dissemination of works. It will carry out these various initiatives in a spirit of equity, encouraging collaborations with Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists.
In addition to its exhibition program, the center will offer animation and training activities, conferences, publications, a documentation center, and provide artists with advice to enhance their creative process and their access to the art world. It will set up residency programs, as well as other partnerships focused on the development of artistic innovations and the dissemination of works. It will carry out these various initiatives in a spirit of equity, encouraging collaborations with Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists.
Background
Over the past two decades, several Wendat artists have cherished the dream of an artist-run centre for their community. In 2020, the Wendat collective was formed as part of Yahndawa': portages entre Wendake et Québec, an exchange between fourteen artists from Wendake and Quebec City.
This project, which culminated in a series of exhibitions, made it clear that the creation of a Wendat artist-run centre was an essential condition for the promotion and development of Wendat art, but also for the consolidation of a community working together. Taking advantage of the synergy of Yahndawa', a new structuring phase began in the winter of 2023, enabling the Wendat Collective to set up a center for artists. Ahkwayaonhkeh was officially founded in 2023.
In 2023-2024, the center is participating in the Aux confluents de l'Akiawenrahk project, an alliance with VU, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Strategic Innovation Fund. As part of this alliance, it will inhabit one of VU's exhibition spaces for the year 2023-2024, participating in visualization exercises, consolidating collaborations with various Quebec City arts organizations, and helping them develop more inclusive practices.
This project, which culminated in a series of exhibitions, made it clear that the creation of a Wendat artist-run centre was an essential condition for the promotion and development of Wendat art, but also for the consolidation of a community working together. Taking advantage of the synergy of Yahndawa', a new structuring phase began in the winter of 2023, enabling the Wendat Collective to set up a center for artists. Ahkwayaonhkeh was officially founded in 2023.
In 2023-2024, the center is participating in the Aux confluents de l'Akiawenrahk project, an alliance with VU, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Strategic Innovation Fund. As part of this alliance, it will inhabit one of VU's exhibition spaces for the year 2023-2024, participating in visualization exercises, consolidating collaborations with various Quebec City arts organizations, and helping them develop more inclusive practices.
Why Ahkwayaonhkeh?
The center's name translates into Wendat as "At the Old Moccasins". Moccasins carry us wherever we go. They are message carriers, symbolizing transmission, communication, and tradition. While verbs play an important role in the Wendat language, moccasins suggest several: walking, setting out, warming up by the fire, slowing down, feeling the ground, tuning into the Land, are all actions they embody. Emblematic of know-how - implying long work and a complex technique - these moccasins, described as "old", also invoke the wisdom necessary to carry out a project such as that of a Wendat artist-run center.
Board of Directors
Teharihulen Michel Savard
President
Manon Sioui
Vice-President
Anne L’Heureux
Treasurer
Ève Bastien
Secretary
Andrée Levesque Sioui
Director
Programming Comittee
Ludovic Boney
Frédérique Gros-Louis
Nicolas Renaud
Guy Sioui Durand
Our team
Julia Caron Guillemette
Project coordinator
coordination@ahkwayaonhkeh.org
Also responsible of the protection of personal information
Graphics
Christiane Vincent
Logo
Manon Sioui
Translation
Linda Sioui
