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Artpark has made a commitment to Indigenous Arts programming and awareness with a full season of Indigenous programs built for and by our local Indigenous community. Our programming serves residents from the Indigenous community in Lewiston, Youngstown, and beyond as well as non-Native persons who are interested in learning more about the culture and traditions.
Spring Awakens
May 20, 2023 / Free to attend
Spring Awakens at Artpark: Preparing, celebrating and honouring Mother Earth along with the Flower Moon and a special Reawakening and Renewal ceremony at the Native American Peace Garden!
All are welcomed to join us in celebrating May’s Flower Moon and preparing the Native American Peace Garden for the growing season. This Moon is important as the flowers and medicines are given life and begin to bloom. The day will open with smudging, a traditional Thanksgiving Address and a special reawakening and renewal ceremony between the Six Nations and Artpark by“Polishing the Covenant Chain” with Dr. Joe Stahlman and Dr. Richard Hamell Come in circle with gratitude, love and respect to our Mother the Earth, the Flower Moon and join us with traditional Indigenous songs, dances, teachings, Storytelling and planting to honor our plant world. All ages are welcome and please bring your gardening tools should you wish to partake in getting your hands in the soil , work the garden and help her awaken from her winter blanket.
June 17, 2023 / Afternoon events are free to attend. $20 tickets to the evening concert are on sale now.
Strawberry Moon Festival is a global celebration built on the Two Row Wampum Teachings that promote all Nations walk together in parallel, with respect, compassion, and understanding to cultivate an inclusive community for our shared future. This festival celebrates the indigenous cultures of the Niagara region through storytelling, music, dance, and arts & crafts. Guests will participate in an inclusive and engaging Native American community gathering. They’ll also be entertained by an eclectic lineup of Native artists performing throughout the lower park earlier in the day, and an evening concert in the Painted Parking Lot featuring DJ Shub, Stephanie Big Eagle and Geneviève Gros-Louis Salamone!
“Not just a music festival, Strawberry Moon celebrates the fact the sky does not acknowledge borders, as different cultural factions from Western New York and Canada gathered to honor the beginning of a new season and tip their collective cap to the land that sustains us all.” -- The Buffalo News
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Artpark has extensive relationships within all of these communities, but specifically with individuals from the Tuscarora, Cayuga, Seneca and Mohawk Nations.
Programming is planned by Artpark's Indigenous Arts Producer, Michele-Elise Burnett (Métis/Algonquin, Bear Clan). Michele is President of Kakekalanicks, an Indigenous arts and consultancy company which educates, enlightens and entertains broad audiences through the promotion of Indigenous knowledge through art, artists, and performers. Ms. Burnett is the co-founder of Landscape of Nations 360°, a unique Indigenous education and tourism initiative. She is the creator and Artistic Director of the Celebration of Nations and the Indigenous Arts Producer at Artpark, where she curates the Annual Strawberry Moon Festival, and Indigenous Ways of Knowing on-going programming, all which provide a far-reaching platform for the community to embrace and honor the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of Indigenous peoples. Ms. Burnett has recently been part of multiple large and meaningful art installations and memorials in various capacities including the Landscape of Nations Commemorative Memorial in Queenston Ont, the Curtain Call installation at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines Ont, the Native American Peace Garden at Artpark, and conceptualized and produced the Indigenous site reactive audio Journey – "Her Moccasins Talk" for Artpark’s Sonic Trails. Contact
