Two Indigenous artists have pulled their work from a University of Calgary gallery to protest the school hosting a controversial debate on campus last month. Tsuut’ina Nation’s seth cardinal dodginghorse and Glenna Cardinal have removed seven of their pieces from the university’s Nickle Galleries. The decision is in response to a debate inviting students to discuss whether Canada’s residential schools were an act of genocide. The event happened on campus the day before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. “It was extremely problematic (and) extremely wrong on a lot of levels,” cardinal dodginghorse told CTV News. “So this is an action that we can do to support (Indigenous people) and show solidarity and just not normalize what’s happened within the institution.” “You go through all the emotions and feel frustration, anger, fear,” Cardinal added. “There’s a responsibility when you open these wounds, (and) that was really lost on the school. They don’t realize the harm that they were doing.” The pieces pulled—some done collaboratively by the duo and some done individually—all focus on family lineage and First Nations culture. They had been in the gallery for three weeks. Controversial debate protested The debate was organized by the group Canadian Students for Free Speech. Its two speakers were Rebel News personality Drea Humphrey and University of Calgary professor emeritus Tom Flanagan. The duo’s actions sparked on-campus protests, and students are still demanding Flanagan’s emeritus title be stripped. The professor did not respond to a CTV News request for an interview Thursday. The university denied that same request, instead sending a statement. It read, in part, that “these moments are an important reminder of the responsibility public universities have to uphold two principles that can, at times, be in tension: protecting freedom of expression and intellectual diversity, while also fostering a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.” “As a university,” it said, “we have a responsibility to permit lawful assembly and expression, including when the ideas being expressed are unwelcome, upsetting or objectionable to members of our community.” cardinal dodginghorse has taken exception to the school’s position. “Words are powerful,” he said. “What you say is powerful and has an impact on everyone. I think that’s something that should be taught before this whole concept of free speech.” The artist has been in contact with staff at Nickle Galleries and says they have been responsive. As of now, cardinal dodginghorse says the university is yet to reach out. “We bring our family to a lot of events—residential school survivors in our family. What if this debate was happening on campus and we brought our family that day?”
