Skydancer Indigenous Cultural Centre and Art Gallery

The Cause

SKYDANCER INDIGENOUS CULTURAL SOCIETY
KNOWING, HONOURING AND SHARING INDIGENOUS CULTURE AND ART

Skydancer knows the passion of our culture bearers and artists, who want to share Indigenous ways of knowing and creativity, and so we are developing a gathering place and showroom for them. Here, culture and the arts will be retained, taught, and shared with everyone. In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, Skydancer Indigenous Cultural Society (a registered Alberta not-for-profit) supports vibrant voices that were historically silenced in Canada.
The Skydancer Indigenous Cultural Centre and Art Gallery is physically small, but has a broad reach. We are located on the busy Highway 16A in Rotary Centennial Park at the west end of Spruce Grove. We have a meeting and artspace (empty at this moment) to serve as a hub for individuals who want to help map the future of Truth and Reconciliation in Parkland County and beyond, and who want to help celebrate Indigenous culture and the arts. We will share workshops, talks by Elders, ceremony, cultural events, and network to make available other cultural and spiritual resources in our area and beyond with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike. We have an online presence and are preparing a small facility to serve as a meeting place, with the vision of eventually establishing a larger visitor centre on lands to the west of our current facility. Beyond online resources and social media, Skydancer is establishing this gathering place to accommodate "in-person" sacred circles of sharing, in the way of our ancestors, so we can meet, share ideas, and work toward trust and healing between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. In Skydancer, residents of four local First Nations, urban Indigenous; Metis; and Inuit communities have a venue to show and celebrate their culture and artwork, and everyone can participate in cultural and art-focused meetups and workshops to build their capacity and understanding.

Who Will it Benefit?

This project will benefit, first and foremost, Indigenous children and youth. They will learn from Indigenous knowledge keepers, culture bearers and artisans, and will acquire new skills in our programs. At Skydancer, they can tap into the many resources available in our vibrant city of Spruce Grove and town of Stony Plain, and beyond. Indigenous adults will have a place to call their own, to visit, share news and information, and display their art and handicraft. Skydancer will benefit non-Indigenous people - civic leaders of Stony Plain and Spruce Grove included - who can learn from Indigenous knowledge keepers, culture bearers, and artisans.