Urban Shaman Contemporary Indigenous Art

Urban Shaman Contemporary Indigenous Art Incorporated in 1996, Urban Shaman Gallery is an Aboriginal artist-run centre. Submissions are welcome, details on our site. Admission to the gallery is free.
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About Urban Shaman


MANDATE
Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art is a nationally recognized leader in Aboriginal arts programming and one of the foremost venues and voices for Aboriginal art in Canada. Our focus on developing new programming and new ways of presenting it have resulted in increased exposure and the expansion of our activities. Urban Shaman is dedicated to the Aboriginal arts c

ommunity and arts community at large.

• Committed to serving the needs of emerging, mid-career, and established Aboriginal artists through exhibitions and associated programming, workshops, residencies and curatorial initiatives.
• Dedicated to contributing to art historical and cultural critical discourses on a local, national, and international level.
• Committed to facilitating artistic production, education, and appreciation of contemporary art as an important and empowering tool for Aboriginal peoples. Accessibility information for Urban Shaman Inc. Urban Shaman Inc. is not located in a fully accessible building. Once in the gallery, the galleries are spacious and simple to navigate, although there are a number of pillars. Staff is very happy to assist in any way we can. Please email us at [email protected] or call ahead 204.942.2674 to let us know of any special arrangements that would make your visit as comfortable as possible. The following describes how to enter the space from the 290 McDermot Avenue entrance. Parking
There are loading bays directly in front of the 290 and 288 McDermot Avenue. There are also three parking spots on either end of the loading bay. Opposite Urban Shaman there is an Impark parking lot. Entering the building
There are two steps up to the street entrance door

The door swings into the building and is on a strong spring. There are an additional 5 steps up to reach the small area in front of the passenger elevator. Urban Shaman is located on the 2nd floor, Unit #203. Upon leaving the elevator walk straight forward to the red door directly across from elevator (not the red door located to the right of you). The entrance to Urban is through the doorway, after a few steps brings you into the main space and office location of the gallery. Washrooms
We have two washrooms however these are not accessible to those using wheelchairs. They are located in a small room with one step up into each toilet area. The Galleries
These are large areas punctuated by widely spaced columns. The Woodshop
This is not wheelchair accessible. Main Gallery

Please see Exhibitions page for the current programming in the Main Gallery

Media Gallery

Please see Exhibitions page for the current programming in the Marvin Francis Media Gallery

təm kʷaθ nan (Namesake) follows an ongoing conversation between Tla’amin Nation and the city commonly known as Powell Ri...
08/05/2026

təm kʷaθ nan (Namesake) follows an ongoing conversation between Tla’amin Nation and the city commonly known as Powell River about a name that honours Israel Wood Powell, whose policies harmed Tla’amin people and culture. As the Nation asks the city to consider a new name, the community responds with reflection, resistance, allyship, and difficult conversations about history, identity, and belonging. Elders share naming traditions rooted in responsibility to place, while the film situates this moment within over 12,000 years of continuous presence. The outcome remains uncertain, but through the rhythm of the seasons, the film shows how change happens over time—through listening, disagreement, and the willingness to move forward together.

təm kʷaθ nan (Namesake) plays August 5. Presented in partnership with Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art.

We're hiring! Join the Urban Shaman team as we transition into our new space at Market Lands. 🔗 http://urbanshaman.org/c...
05/20/2026

We're hiring! Join the Urban Shaman team as we transition into our new space at Market Lands. 🔗 http://urbanshaman.org/careers

Experienced candidates can apply for the following positions:

📌 Programs Assistant: supports the coordination and administration of exhibitions, adjunct programming, residencies, and publications.

📌 Outreach Coordinator: leads Urban Shaman’s communications, outreach, and promotional activities.

We have a great benefits package and operate on a 4 day work-week!

We're pleased to be exhibition Carrie Allison's exhibition 'we tend to care' for another month until May 1st! If you hav...
03/31/2026

We're pleased to be exhibition Carrie Allison's exhibition 'we tend to care' for another month until May 1st!

If you haven't seen it now's the time! And be sure to catch the other half of the exhibition at ✨

✨EXHIBITION EXTENDED TO MAY 1ST!✨we tend to care | NikisisawéniténánOnókohtáw Carrie AllisonCurated by / Okanawénihcikéw...
03/31/2026

✨EXHIBITION EXTENDED TO MAY 1ST!✨

we tend to care | Nikisisawéniténán
Onókohtáw Carrie Allison
Curated by / Okanawénihcikéw Franchesca Hebert-Spence

Grass exists firmly within the mundane. Yet, it has such an emotional hold within our imagination. For example, the weekend whine of lawnmowers in the distance correlates to a middle-class aspiration. There are candles and air fresheners that mimic a “fresh cut grass” scent, signalling cleanliness. Allison’s ambitious beaded pieces parallel the absurd amount of labour and time that goes into maintaining yards, lawns, gardens, and agricultural spaces.

In doing so, Allison’s work confronts these social constructs and addresses how these spaces uphold and are upheld by class, colonialism, and nationalism. She takes this critique to the absurd with her use of digital media to extrapolate what those systems will evolve into if left unchecked.

Allison offers alternatives to those futures by tracing riverways in beads, replacing cold extractive botanical sketches with portrayals of kin, or looking for shared intergenerational spaces.

Through these portraits, visiting, and memory, we tend to care considers the connections Allison has to place – Grande Prairie being her maternal family’s territory, and demonstrates how she cares and nurtures those bonds.

Within the juxtaposition of family, land, space, and colonial critique, Allison poses the question: where are we putting our labour and for whose benefit?

Address

203-290 McDermot Avenue
Winnipeg, MB
R3B0T2

Telephone

+12049422674

Website

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