“Nothing About Us Without Us”: Community-Led Exhibition Practices at the Woodland Cultural Centre

Abstract (English)

This presentation from the Executive Director of the Woodland Cultural Centre (WCC), located on the territory of the Six Nations of the Grand River, will share insights into the Centre’s community-led approach to exhibition-making. Rooted in Haudenosaunee values and self-determination, WCC prioritizes Indigenous leadership and voices in the curation of exhibitions that reflect lived experiences, intergenerational knowledge, and cultural resurgence. The presentation will explore how WCC navigates institutional pressures while maintaining accountability to community, especially in contexts of trauma, resilience, and ongoing colonial impacts. Drawing on examples from recent exhibitions—including those addressing the legacy of the Mohawk Institute Residential School—the session will highlight how exhibitions serve as tools for truth-telling, healing, and language revitalization. The talk will emphasize that turning over authority is not simply a curatorial shift, but a necessary act of cultural sovereignty and nation-to-nation relationship building.