Bay Street Wire
Toronto & Canada

Union Station Transforms Into Indigenous Art and Culture Hub

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Aisha Karimculture & city lifeSep 30AI

Canada's busiest multimodal transportation centre is hosting a fall lineup of public art, live music, and dance performances.

Union Station has officially transitioned into a hub for Indigenous art and culture, featuring a series of installations and performances designed for the thousands of commuters passing through the facility, according to BlogTO.

The programming began Sept. 26 in the station's West Wing with Tkaronto Open IV, which featured free, Pow Wow-style dance competitions focusing on Indigenous Women's Jingle Dress dancing. Other highlighted events include:

* **Visual Art:** Artist Alanah Astehtsi Otsistohkwa (Morningstar) Jewell has installed "The Meaning of Connection" in the Front Street Promenade vitrine and on station banners. The work, which runs through mid-November, utilizes the Haudenosaunee Sky Dome symbol to explore relationships between Creation, land, water, and people. * **Live Music:** On Oct. 20, Oji-Cree singer-songwriter and JUNO Award winner Aysanabee will headline a free acoustic concert in the West Wing, with Inuk singer-songwriter Beatrice Deer opening the show. * **Commemorative Events:** From Oct. 17 to 22, the station will host Secret Path Week. The series of panels and artwork marks 10 years since the 2016 album *Secret Path* by Gord Downie and the Wenjack family, which detailed the story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old who died after escaping an Ontario residential school.

BlogTO reports that the fall programming continues throughout October, with further details available on the station's official website.

Sources

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