The Aunte: Indigenous Residency
by Moe Lyons
The Aunte Indigenous Residency is a non-profit artist residency that launched in New Denver in July 2024. The program was founded by Jaymie Campbell and is led by a developing board of primarily Indigenous women and under-represented artists. Situated in a renovated building behind Campbell’s home, a few hundred metres from Slocan Lake, it offers a unique opportunity for Indigenous artists across the full spectrum of disciplines.
The residency features exhibition space, a workshop area and two conjoined suites for visiting artists. “Inspired by hearing stories across our communities of residencies that didn’t focus on our well-being over the production of work, we built a space to cultivate a supportive ecosystem where collective knowledge and creativity can flourish,” says Campbell.
According to The Aunte’s promotional material, “Through a variety of initiatives such as workshops, training programs, mentorship opportunities and collaborative projects, we provide artists with the resources and support they need to develop their craft and enhance their professional skills.”
The Aunte was named to honour Indigenous women and their role in our communities, a play on words from the phrase “the aunties upping the ante.” Campbell acknowledges her great debt to the women who came before her and who continue to sit alongside the project.
“I am passionate about our inherent rights and how we assert these,” she says. “We want to provide spaces for people to do that work how they want to do it. The practice of art is an inherent right. Art is healing our communities and is an expression of our relationship to the land and each other.” She stresses that she did not do this alone. “This happened with a great, supportive team and an engaged arts community and was also led by our ancestors.”
The board members of the organization represent areas of expertise including visual arts, writing, governance, land-based knowledge and curatorial skills. Campbell says that The Aunte is essentially operating with the age-old concept of Knowledge Keepers.
The Aunte currently plans to offer eight residencies per year, in the spring and fall, which will be available to both established and emerging artists. The intent is to pay artists in residence a stipend, as many artists work other jobs to support themselves and cannot afford to take time off for the development of their art. Initially, artists will be chosen by an advisory council, but eventually past artists will help choose those who come subsequently, so that participants are chosen by their peers. Summer and winter will have different residency program offerings, focused on community building, governance development and partnership.
Learn more about The Aunte Indigenous Residency
