Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience at the McCord Museum

Kent Monkman brings his acclaimed solo exhibition to Montreal

After a hugely successful tour through Western Canada, the Maritimes and Ontario, Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience is making its only – and highly anticipated – stop in Quebec at the McCord Museum. “Indigenous cultures are a key component of the McCord Museum. It’s an honour to be hosting this outstanding exhibition,” said Suzanne Sauvage. This is Monkman’s second collaboration with the McCord. He was artist in residence in 2013, when he created the monumental work Welcome to the Studio in tribute to Montreal – a painting that the museum acquired in 2014 thanks, in part, to support from Montrealers.

The McCord Museum will be hosting Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience, by internationally renowned Cree artist Kent Monkman until May 5^th. His second nationally touring solo exhibition for which he is the curator, Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience revisits Canadian history, from Confederation to today, as seen through the eyes of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, his time-travelling, shape-shifting, gender-fluid alter ego. Miss Chief reflects on the 150 years of Canada’s existence – a period marked by the adoption of devastating genocidal policies – and honours the resilience of Indigenous peoples today.

“Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience is a deeply disturbing exhibition about the history of Indigenous peoples from here and across Canada, a story that needs to be told and heard. This is an opportunity for the McCord Museum to initiate encounters, dialogue and reconciliation around a topic that concerns us all and forces us to reflect on ourselves,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Sauvage.

At its core, Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience is a celebration of Indigenous resilience. The exhibition uses humour and critical insight to create a troubling retrospective of what Monkman refers to as “the most devastating period for First Peoples.” Monkman’s works shock and demolish popular beliefs; challenge heteronormativity and gender binaries; contrast the glorification of Roman Catholicism with the deep distress it causes; scorn the opulence of colonialism on Indigenous lands; and recall the effects of the treaties that forever changed the course of history.

For this presentation, the booklet Excerpts from the Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle will be made available to visitors in three languages: Cree, French and English. The travelling exhibition also draws on the McCord’s rich holdings by incorporating numerous artefacts from its Indigenous Cultures and Decorative Arts collections.

Indigenous Art and Cultures Honoured at the McCord Museum

Not only is the Museum starting off the year on a strong note with Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience, but it will also be presenting two other exhibitions as part of its exceptionally rich Indigenous cultures programming in 2019. In March, the multidisciplinary visual artist of Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) and English ancestry Hannah Claus, in residence at the Museum for the 2018-2019 season, will present her exhibition: There’s a reason for our connection. Then April will see the opening of Sding K’awXangs – Haida: Supernatural Stories, an exhibi­tion showcasing the McCord’s outstanding collection of Haida artefacts, along with works by contemporary Haida artists.

The McCord Museum is at 690, Sherbrooke St. West,H3A 1E9. 514-861-6701 or www.musee-mccord.qc.ca.