ICSLAC alum and esteemed Indigenous art historian and curator, Dr. Heather Igloliorte, has been appointed to the University of Victoria as the first Canada Excellence Research Chair in Decolonial and Transformational Indigenous Art Practices. This position, with $8-million funding from the Canada Excellence Research Chairs program, is part of a federal initiative overseen by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and aims to promote reconciliation through impactful art and innovative exhibition methods. It also seeks to nurture emerging talent across various fields, including students, researchers, educators, curators, and artists, encouraging them to effect change via artistic endeavors.
The appointment was part of an announcement made by the Honourable Terry Beech, Minister of Citizens’ Services, representing the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry and included support for thirty-four new research chairs.
Dr. Igloliorte will concentrate her research on decolonial and resurgent Indigenous artistic practices within Canada. Her work aims to explore and advance decolonization through various channels, including institutional and community-based collaborations, both nationally and internationally. Dr. Igloliorte obtained a Ph.D. in Cultural Mediations at Carleton University’s Institute for Comparative Studies in Literature, Art and Culture (ICSLAC) in 2013.
“UVic awarded $8M Canada Excellence Research Chair.” UVic News. November 16, 2023. https://www.uvic.ca/news/topics/2023+new-indigenous-research-chair+media-release?fbclid=IwAR24hWzQAEsbzn4xfsdLWKWYBPj3s3LlhP6MB0LglxtExLw0cdMrYBnxVUI