Meet the Artists behind Indigenous Arts and Stories Exhibition
- Jun 1
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
The Gallery
In response to demand from local artists for exhibition space and to promote and celebrate our talented local artists, the London Arts Council and the City of London Culture Services have collaborated with RBC Place London to pilot The Gallery program at RBC Place London as part of our London Arts Live (LAL) program offerings.
The purpose of The Gallery is to promote the work of artists and creators residing in London and surrounding First Nations to display original artworks for exhibition, with sales opportunities, on highly prominent and specially designated wall space within this municipally owned building.
For the ninth exhibition, The Gallery featured artworks created by Mackenzie Beirnes-Daniels, Kristi White, and Mike Cywink, highlighting stories of Indigenous culture, history, and community.
Meet the Artists/Authors
Mackenzie Beirnes-Daniels is a London-based Cree First Nations artist whose practice is rooted in exploring the fluid and unreliable nature of memory. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts from Fanshawe College and is currently a member of Good Sport Studio and Gallery. Through the act of fragmentation, she seeks to isolate and dissect objects and scenes, bringing attention to how personal narratives can be easily swayed by emotions, time, and external influences. By decontextualizing imagery, her work challenges the viewer to confront the disjointed and ever-shifting nature of recollection.
Kristi White is an author and member of the Oneida Nation of the Thames. Her focus is on
Indigenous language and culture revitalization, and an awakening in boys’ literacy. Kristi White is a proud Haudenosaunee woman. As a mother and grandmother, Kristi has spent many years guiding the establishment and implementation of programs for families and children based around healthy living, healthy relationships, literacy, and cultural appropriate content, and has worked alongside and consulted with numerous agencies across Canada. Kristi is a children's author who has a 4-book series out that is focused on Indigenous children. Kristi creates a story with books that opens the hearts and minds of children from all walks of life, inspiring them to read deeper, search further, and explore their own creative gifts. Taking inspiration fromIndigenous cultures, she focuses on themes that encourage independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning, and acceptance of other languages and cultures traditions.
Mike Cywink grew up in Whitefish River First Nation in Northern Ontario and has lived in
the London area for over a decade. He is a muralist, artist, and graphic designer whose
work can be found throughout the city. Alongside his artistic practice, Mike is dedicated to
supporting Indigenous youth through community-based projects. As an artist, Mike
approaches his work as storytelling. Guided by teachings he has received along his
journey, he listens, learns, and respectfully shares stories through visual art. Rooted in traditional storytelling practices, his work honours Indigenous ways of passing on
knowledge and lived experience.
About Work
Woven Into Myself (2025)
(on exhibition May – August 2026)
Through a series of seven drawings, Mackenzie Beirnes-Daniels, a London-based Cree First
Nations artist, reimagines Jay and Gizmo Learn About Boys with Braids by Kristi White. Drawing on the story’s themes of masculinity, colonization, and the tension between Western gender norms and Indigenous tradition, the series becomes an exploration of decolonizing self-image.
The series journeys through the internalized colonial expectations toward a self-determined
identity. The figure appears vulnerable and overwhelmed, negotiating contemporary narratives of masculinity while seeking to understand the tradition of wearing braids and the deeper connection to heritage that comes from embracing and expressing Indigenous identity.
Ontarian plant life and traditional medicine plants are woven throughout the pieces as grounding presences. These botanical elements act as carriers of knowledge and healing, anchoring the figures to land and lineage. Together, the drawings form a quiet arc from fragmentation toward reconciliation, proposing reconnection to land and heritage as an act of restoration.Â
Read Jay and Gizmo Learn About Boys with Braids by Kristi White
We Are Still Here (2025) by Mike Cywink
(on exhibition May – August 2026)
As we navigate this way of life, we must never forget the past. To know where we are going,
we must know where we come from. The relationships between the Indigenous Peoples,
the land, the water, the animals, and the ceremony need to be understood and respected,
as they are our original ways of living and being.
There is a complex relationship between Indigenous Peoples, settlers, and institutions.
And the true history of those relationships here on Turtle Island must be understood by
everybody. For centuries, Canada has tried to hide the horrors, the harm, and the
destruction that it has caused to Indigenous communities. But through resiliency, hard
work, and the determination of our people, we have fought to bring the truth to light.
We need to work together to move forward together. Pieces of who we are, our way of life,
and understanding our relationships are vital in creating a safer, better world for all of us.
The Residential School system tried to wipe out the Indigenous Peoples, with assimilation
being the key focus of those institutions. But the spirit of the native people was too strong.
The ones who walked before us fought to keep our ways of life going. They ensured our
teachings; ceremonies and our spiritual connections would live on. Through every action,
their thoughts were with us.
As we move forward together, we must never forget what has happened. We have survivors
who walk amongst us, and we have children of survivors who are dealing with
intergenerational trauma and trying their best to break the cycle of pain and hurt. No
matter what we do, we must always think of the next group coming after us. Whether it is
the youth of today, the newborns, or the ones who are coming 7 generations from now. We
must always think of them in everything we do.
Read the full LAC MURAL STORY by Mike Cywink
View Indigenous Arts and Stories Exhibition at RBC Place London on the following dates: May
May 21 (11:00am - 2:00pm)
May 25 (8:00am - 8:00pm)
May 26 (8:00am - 1:00pm)
May 28 (8:00am - 8:00pm)
May 29 (8:00am - 8:00pm)
May 30 (8:00am - 8:00pm)
May 31 (8:00am - 12:00pm)
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June
June 2 (12:00pm - 8:00pm)
June 3 (8:00am - 5:00pm)
June 4 (5:00pm - 9:00pm)
June 6 (6:00pm - 10:00pm)
June 7 (10:00am - 8:00pm)
June 8 (8:00am - 8:00pm)
June 9 (8:00am - 5:00pm)
June 10 (8:00am - 4:00pm)
June 11 (11:00am - 2:00pm)
June 12 (11:00am - 1:30pm)
June 16 (8:00am - 4:00pm)
June 18 (11:00am - 2:00pm)
June 19 (1:00pm - 6:00pm)
June 24 (5:30pm - 8:30pm)
June 25 (9:00am - 8:30pm)
June 26 (11:00am - 1:30pm)
June 29 (4:00pm - 8:00pm)
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July
July 2 (11:00am - 2:00pm)
July 4 (5:00pm - 10:00pm)
July 16 (8:00am - 5:00pm)
July 17 (8:00am - 5:00pm)
July 18 (6:00pm - 10:00pm)
July 23 (11:00am - 2:00pm)
July 24 (10:00am - 1:00pm)
July 30 (11:00am - 4:00pm)
**enter via the main doors on York St.**
The objectives of the Gallery program are: to create a beautiful, unique, and cultured atmosphere; provide compelling experiences for local, national, and international visitors; educate the public by presenting a series of diverse artworks created by local professional artists; and provide professional opportunities for local artists, including increased promotion, sales, and career enhancement.
For more information about this project, please contact the London Arts Council at info@londonarts.ca