Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) should feature more art by Carleton students and alumni. In their winter exhibitions, only one of the three showcases had a direct link to Carleton—the powerful exhibit My Mom, kahntinetha Horn, the ‘Military Mohawk Princess,’ which was created by an Indigenous Carleton professor about her mother, also a Carleton alumnus.
Part of the exhibition’s strength was its personal Carleton connection: unifying curator Kahente Horn-Miller, her mother kahntinetha Horn, and the Carleton students studying under Horn-Miller.
The inclusion of this exhibit is a good step, but many of CUAG’s exhibitions, from both the fall term and the current winter exhibits, had little-to-no Carleton connection through artists, curators, or artistic themes. In 2017, CUAG held a community art exhibition which displayed the art of over 148 Carleton students, alumni, and faculty. This event was an example of how CUAG can be a place to display Carleton-created art.
The exhibitions are excellent, and many of the artists who have displayed their work at CUAG have made great names for themselves. But, with so many Carleton students and alumni looking for a place to show off their art, they should be prioritized or given space to display unique Carleton-grown art.
CUAG can keep getting big names to bring in a wider audience, but there is space in the gallery to feature the work of more Carleton students and alumni—it would be a waste not to.
