Latest news with #IndigenousArtisans
Vogue
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Blanketed in Meaning: The Great Elephant Migration Reaches a Ceremonial Finale in Beverly Hills
On Friday evening, in the heart of Beverly Hills, a convoy of brightly decorated trucks—festooned in traditional Indian lorry art—pulled into the Eva and Marc Stern Arrival Court at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Inside them: 100 life-sized elephant sculptures, made not of stone or bronze but of a humble invasive plant. This was the final stop of The Great Elephant Migration—a 5,000-mile public art journey that has moved through cities, tribal lands, and national parks across the United States—and the elephants arrived swathed in something new: more than 70 bespoke blankets, created by designers and Indigenous communities around the world in a ceremonial offering called 'Wrapped in History.' Photo: Victor Arriola/ Photo: Victor Arriola/ The sculptures themselves are the work of the Real Elephant Collective, a sustainable, community-owned enterprise of 200 Indigenous artisans from India's Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Using Lantana camara—an aggressive weed that chokes native forests—the artisans spent years handcrafting each elephant based on a real-life counterpart. Bulls, cows, calves, and tuskers were shaped with anatomical precision, their forms bent and woven from dried reeds in a process as environmentally conscious as it was emotionally resonant. The stop in Los Angeles marked the first time the Real Elephant Collective had joined the US tour in person—representing a powerful reunion between creator and creation. Ruth Ganesh, Kristin Davis Photo: Victor Arriola/ Photo: Victor Arriola/ Since debuting during the pandemic in London's Hyde Park, the herd has trotted through Newport, Manhattan, Miami Beach, Jackson Hole, and more. But Los Angeles was something different: a ceremonial close, a new artistic layer, and a powerful gesture of reverence. 'Blankets are wrapped around members of the community as a sign of respect,' said Ruth Ganesh, the UK-born conservationist and co-creator of the project. 'This echoes traditions across many Indigenous cultures, where blankets symbolize protection, honor, and belonging. In the context of the Migration, each draped elephant becomes a living monument—wrapped in collective memory and care.' Photo: Victor Arriola/ Photo: Victor Arriola/ The idea for the blanketing was born last fall, during an All Night Smoke hosted by the Blackfeet Nation, where Ganesh saw elders and guests alike arrive wrapped in traditional blankets. What followed was a new curatorial initiative led by Indian designer Vikram Goyal, who invited collaborators from the worlds of fashion, Indigenous craft, and textile heritage to create ceremonial pieces—each infused with ancestral motifs and messages of coexistence. Kristin Davis Photo: Victor Arriola/ Olubi Mairumbi, Karin Betts, Luke Maamai Photo: Victor Arriola/ 'In Indigenous cultures around the world, blankets hold profound significance,' said Goyal, who contributed his own design. 'They are often intricately woven with traditional patterns and colors, representing a tribe's history, identity, and spiritual beliefs.' Goyal's blanket took inspiration from his repoussé metalwork, translating a gilded wall sculpture—based on a 17th-century Rajput manuscript called The Book of Dreams—into an embroidered textile layered with symbols of good fortune: the Gajaraja (Elephant King), Gajasimha (Elephant-Lion), blackbuck antelope, and parrots in a flowering tree. Other contributors to 'Wrapped in History' included Ralph Lauren, Tarun Tahiliani, Sabyasachi, Diane von Furstenberg, Johanna Ortiz, Ozwald Boateng, and the Navajo Nation, alongside India's craft communities and schools like Chanakya, whose women artisans stitched together a textile map of India using techniques drawn from the Deccan plateau to Assam. 'Craft has always evolved within contemporary frameworks,' Goyal noted. 'Textile has long led by this example.'
CTV News
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
What's happening in Calgary on Canada Day 2025
The City of Calgary says this year's Canada Day celebrations will be bigger and more interactive than in years past, featuring fun for all ages. Calgary's 2025 Canada Day celebrations will take place at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland (formerly Fort Calgary), St. Patrick's Island and the Municipal Building, and include everything from a performance by Sam Roberts Band to a powwow – and, of course, fireworks. Main Stage Show The Confluence will be the site of the Sam Roberts performance. The Main Stage, which is free, offers an all-Canadian lineup of musicians. Performances start at 3:20 p.m., with Roberts taking the stage at 9:45 p.m. The Confluence will also be home to a powwow, food vendors and an Indigenous artisans market. St. Patrick's Island There will be three stages set up on St. Patrick's Island to showcase live music. In addition, attendees can get airbrush tattoos or have their face painted. There's a playground and spots to have a picnic, plus there will be food vendors. Municipal Building Calgary's downtown Municipal Building will be home to a spotlight on cultural clothing, giving attendees a chance to try them on and capture the moment in a photo booth. Fireworks Calgary's Canada Day celebrations will wrap up with a fireworks display launched from Stampede Park at 11 p.m. The city says the best viewing will be from the Confluence, or anywhere where you can typically see Stampede fireworks. Onsite viewing at Stampede will not be available. For a complete schedule of Canada Day events, you can visit the City of Calgary's website. Officials say Canada Day serves as the kickoff to the downtown summer festival season. 'Festivals are powerful drivers for tourism, creating opportunities for visitors to connect, explore and extend their stay,' said Alisha Reynolds, Tourism Calgary president and CEO, in a Tuesday news release. 'Festivals and events are key to a vibrant downtown,' added Mark Garner, executive director of the Calgary Downtown Association. 'More people in the area will lead to increased economic activity for businesses.' More information on Calgary's summer festival season is available online.
CTV News
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
National Indigenous Peoples Day events happening in Edmonton
On Saturday people all across Canada will be celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day and Edmonton will have its fair share of family-friendly events to honour Indigenous culture. Here are some events happening around the city for National Indigenous Peoples Day: • The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App Bissell Centre Families can start their celebrations in front of the Bissell Centre on Friday where traffic will be diverted to make room for the block-party event. Attendees will be treated to the sights and sounds of Indigenous music, dancing, performances and food. There will be a pipe ceremony, a smudge station, traditional hand games, craft-making and round dancing. For more information on the event, visit the Bissell Centre's website. When: Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Where: 10527 96 St. NW Telus World of Science With general admission, guests can explore Indigenous culture at the Telus World of Science. A tipi-raising event will kick start the festivities outside of the building at 8 a.m. before opening up to the public. Once inside, attendees can visit the Indigenous artisan market in the main lobby, watch live performances and participate in drop-in activities including a silkscreening workshop, traditional story-telling sessions about the land, Telus World of Science's take on making aqpiq ice cream using liquid nitrogen, and craft-making. Free barbecue will also be provided to guests. General admission for Indigenous Peoples will be on the house. More information on the science centre's programming can be found online. When: Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where: 11211 142 St. NW Royal Alberta Museum The history and heritage of Indigenous communities will be on full display throughout the week at the Royal Alberta Museum. Starting Thursday, visitors can sit in on story time, learn finger weaving, watch performances, and experience the museum's offerings. Admission will be free for Indigenous people, but the event is available for others to attend with a general admission ticket. The museum's Indigenous Peoples Day celebration, along with the rest of the facility's programming, can be found on their website. When: June 19 to 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where: 9810 103a Ave. NW Fort Edmonton Park The largest living history museum is planning an entire weekend of activities for National Indigenous Peoples Day. The park is arranging activities throughout the weekend including tipi carving workshops, music performances, hoop dancing, hand games, and a Maskwa medicine demonstration. A Métis Political picnic, where guests can explore the politics of Métis identity in the 1880s, will be taking place on Saturday and Sunday starting at noon. A complete schedule is available on Fort Edmonton Park's website. When: June 20 to 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Where: 7000 143 St. NW
