Exhibitions

Traveling Exhibitions

Exhibitions


Across Borders: Beadwork in Iroquois Life

Across Borders: Beadwork in Iroquois Life explores the artistic, cultural, economic and political significance of beadwork in the lives of Iroquois people. This 4,000 square foot travelling exhibition also examines the fascinating ways in which beadwork has been used to cross cultural boundaries and create a dialogue between Native and non-Native peoples. More than 300 stunning examples of beadwork are on display - including clothing, moccasins, souvenir pincushions and beaded picture frames - dating from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Visitors can meet beadworkers from the Iroquois communities of Kahnawake, near Montreal, and Tuscarora, near Niagara Falls, on video and get to try their hand at interactive beadwork activities.

This ground-breaking exhibition traces the story of Iroquois beadwork from pre-contact times through to the present. Displays explore the meaning of distinctive motifs and show how beadwork is made. Visitors learn about the innovative style of beadwork developed by the Iroquois during the mid-nineteenth century. Built upon traditional Iroquois designs and popular non-Native Victorian fashions, beadworkers created a novel array of elaborately beaded "souvenirs" aimed specifically at tourist markets throughout the Northeast. More than five years in the making, Across Borders takes visitors on a moving journey of discovery - an exploration of how the art of placing thousands of tiny glass beads on fabric is intimately linked to the identity and survival of Iroquois people.

Across Borders: Beadwork in Iroquois Life is a travelling exhibition organized and circulated by the McCord Museum, Quebec, and the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University, NY, in collaboration with the Kanien'kehaka Raotitiohkwa Cultural Center, Kahnawake, the Tuscarora Nation community beadworkers within New York State, and the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

The exhibition has received generous support from: