header photo: annie ross
an audit + policy project to ensure that Indigenous-themed products being sold on Granville Island are authentically made or designed by Indigenous artists
Against cultural appropriation of Indigenous art, the CCBC has conducted an audit of Indigenous-themed products sold on Granville Island, looking at how many are authentically made and produced by Indigenous artists.
We encourage all artists to read A Brief Introduction to Cultural Appropriation of Craft in Canada,
developed by the Canadian Crafts Federation// Fédération canadienne des métiers d’art .
how did we determine what was "authentic"?
As a predominantly white, settler-dominated organization, it is not up to us to define “authentic” Indigenous work. We strongly believe that while we are able to use our privileged position as an organization to influence policy, and plan to do so, the larger conversation about the definition of authenticity should be led by the Indigenous artists who create these works. We aim to support and amplify the work already being done in this field.
During our community engagement, we asked Indigenous artists for guidance on how to measure the authenticity of an item for the purposes of this project, and we consulted a number of resources and examples from other regions. In our Granville Island audit, we consider an item authentic if it falls within the following three categories (based on work previously done by Authentic Indigenous).
Artwork by Veronica Danes Waechter, photo by Alex Montes de Oca
Products are designed, produced, and distributed by Indigenous artists or businesses.
Products are designed, approved, and distributed by Indigenous artists but may be produced by non-Indigenous people or businesses.
Products bear the artwork of an Indigenous artist who has been fairly compensated for their work and has also approved the final design. The producer and/or distributor need not be of Indigenous ancestry.
resources
Articles
- Policy Options piece by Francesca Fionda & team
- The Discourse study by Francesca Fionda & team
Other Resources & Supports
- Authentic Indigenous Art (archived content) – guidance received from Lou-ann Neel and Shain Jackson
- Reclaim Indigenous Arts – guidance received from artist Jay Soule aka CHIPPEWAR
- Tagging system for Inuit Art
- Planning insight at the beginning of the project provided by Cathi Charles Wherry, Special Advisor with First Peoples’ Cultural Council
Banner photo: artwork by annie ross, photo by Alex Montes de Oca