News

A major new exhibit at UVic’s Legacy Art Gallery is shining a spotlight on George Clutesi, a pioneering voice for Indigenous culture and resilience. Born in 1905 in Port Alberni and a proud member of the Tseshaht First Nation, Clutesi survived the Alberni Residential School and transformed personal survival into public art. The exhibit, curated by the University of Victoria in collaboration with Nuu-chah-nulth artists, combines Clutesi’s original works with new pieces created in his honor.

An exhibition celebrating the life and legacy of Tseshaht artist, writer, and cultural leader George Clutesi is set to officially open this month at the University of Victoria’s Legacy Art Gallery. Building on the acclaimed exhibit held at the Alberni Valley Museum in 2023, this new presentation expands the narrative to include never-before-seen works, intergenerational reflections, and contemporary artistic responses from across the Nuu-chah-nulth world.

February is Black History Month. In 2024, Legacy Art Galleries had the privilege of collaborating with Black artists and curators from across the country, who brought powerful exhibitions and programming to the downtown gallery. In honour of the incredible work of these artists and curators, we invite you to explore the curated online resources developed alongside these exhibitions, both this month and beyond.

Eight Black Canadian artists are the focus of the new exhibition The Chorus is Speaking: Experiencing Identities of Blackness at the UVic Legacy Art Galleries. Originally exhibited at the Campbell River Art Gallery, co-curators Jenelle Pasiechnik (Campbell River Art Gallery) and Michelle Jacques (Remai Modern) have renewed the show with additional pieces for Victoria audiences.

Rooting for Reclamation is Legacy's latest fall 2024 exhibition on display in the inner gallery. Featuring local artists Aya Behr, Kemi Craig, Nathan Smith, and Tajah Olson. Learn about the inspiration behind the exhibition and more in our interview with emerging guest curator, Madison Bridal.

Currently on display at Legacy Downtown, Masked Identity: Artworks by Robert Burke is an exhibit which transports visitors into the vibrant world of eighty-year-old artist Robert Burke.

Our current exhibition Fire Season is featured in the June-August 2024 issue of PREVIEW Art Magazine.

Last summer, as wildfires ravaged Northern Ontario, many on the eastern side of Canada experienced the visuals of wildfire for the first time. But the haze was all too familiar for Vancouver painter Liz Toohey-Wiese, who was attending an art residency on Toronto Island last year when smoke blanketed the city.

The University of Victoria Legacy Art Gallery is seeking two Black artists for a new exhibition focusing on Victoria-based contemporary Black artists.