Join us for a screening of documentary film, Aakideh: The Art & Legacy of Carl Beam followed by a Q&A with Directors Robert Waldeck and Paul Eichhorn, this Thursday January 12 from 6:00 – 7:30 pm.

‘Aakideh’ is an Ojibwe word meaning brave or brave-hearted. Artist Carl Beam earned a reputation for being fearless, visionary and ultimately, unforgettable. From his early years growing up on Manitoulin Island to his turbulent years spent at a residential school, this documentary explores how these early experiences not only impacted Beam’s life but also his art.

Carl Beam (1943-2005) was born in M’Chigeeng (WestBay) on Manitoulin Island. Of Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) heritage, the artist was instrumental in challenging the marginalization of contemporary Aboriginal art inCanada. He became noted for his manner of linking Indigenous world views to broad cultural, historical, and political concerns in order to provoke contemplation of multiple realities and our collective place in the cosmos. In the process, he developed an aesthetic approach more akin to the expressive layering of Rauschenberg than the traditional forms of Anishinaabe ‘Woodland School’ painters. Beam has been credited with opening doors for First Nations artists by becoming the first to sell a work to the National Gallery of Canada for its contemporary collection.

Join us for this Free event presented as part of the Visiting Artist Program, a collaboration between the McMaster Museum of Art and McMaster School of the Arts.