Winnipeg graphic novelist David A. Robertson's memoir, Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory, is a multiple finalist at the Manitoba Book Awards. "I’m so floored and humbled to be shortlisted in six categories for the Manitoba Book Awards," Robertson said on Twitter. Robertson, who tells the story of growing up without really realizing he was Cree, has won acclaim – and a Governor General's Literary Award – for his Indigenous stories for young people.
The Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria has acquired Vancouver artist Adad Hannah's Social Distancing Portraits. This is the first contemporary photography purchased by the B.C. Archives in decades, and will be part of the museum's project, For Our Times: Documenting B.C. During COVID-19. Hannah created short videos of still figures in the early days of the pandemic.
The Winnipeg Art Gallery has launched a book to commemorate the official opening of the Inuit art centre, Qaumajuq. Titled Journey North: The Inuit Art Centre Project, the book was written by gallery director Stephen Borys, and incorporates the voices of scholars, artists, curators and others involved in the project. The gallery has also announced a partnership with the urban Inuit association Tunngasugit to help ensure Qaumajuq is a safe and welcoming space for the Inuit community. The gallery will facilitate the use of Qaumajuq for Tunngasugit's Inuktitut language classes, explore ways to offer gallery tours in Inuktitut and assist with transportation between Tunngasugit and the gallery.
The 2021 Platform Photography Award is open for submissions until May 28. The winner will receive $2,000 and a solo exhibition at Platform, an artist-run centre in Winnipeg. Applicants must be based in Manitoba. For more information, go here.