Bamaapii: See you later

In the Anishnaabe language, there is no word for goodbye, rather, see you later. With this new exhibition series, we say “bamaapii” to Shelley Niro’s Chiquita, Bunny, Stella which will be leaving the Thunder Bay Art Gallery and travelling as part of the upcoming international exhibition titled; Shelley Niro: 500 Year Itch.

This exhibition is hosted by The Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH) in partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). Shelley Niro: 500 Year Itch is a retrospective of the artist’s phenomenal career, showcasing 90 works of art. Debuting at the NMAI in New York, NY from May 2023 – January 1, 2024 — Chiquita, Bunny, Stella will be touring until 2025.

When we say see you later, we are enacting our very intent, to share. Our intention as a gallery is to share works from the collection with our communities to honour the artist’s culture, and dynamic storytelling.

“Chiquita, my mother, is the craftsperson in the family. I would get up in the morning and find her sitting at the table making beadwork, stringing different kinds of beads together for different kinds of necklaces or making bone chokers, and other craft pieces. Usually that is where I could find her when I went to bed. She is still a hard worker, but I like to think of her as an inventor who has managed to invent with the most basic of material.

Bunny, my sister, has been making cornhusk dolls for over two decades now. There is a never-ending demand for her dolls.

Stella, my daughter, has inherited the gene that makes her hands want to do something all the time. Her appreciation for other people’s work makes her want to perfect her own.” – Shelley Niro