Curator Felicia Gay is working to transform art spaces in Saskatchewan

The idea that art holds power to not only shake audiences, but enact change, is a belief that has guided curator Felicia Gay throughout much of her work.

“People will listen to art more than they’ll listen to us,” said Gay.

“Even if they don’t want to see or heart it, through visual art, it can plant a seed in people’s minds that can bloom, that can interrupt thinking or change perspective. It’s a strategy for me to use art in that way to advocate for our people.”

Gay is a Curator at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina, a position she’s held full-time since 2024, and as a fellow since 2019. Gay, who is of Swampy Cree heritage, with her father of Scottish descent, grew up going between Cumberland House and Saskatoon, and uses her unique background and worldviews to inform her curatorial practice.

“I do this to share our stories,” she said.

“I think people think that our art has to be political. But through our lived experiences, we are political beings because of the oppression we’ve gone through. So when we make art to tell our stories, it’s often connected to something deeper going on in our lives.”

It’s a profession that is significantly underrepresented by Indigenous people in Canada. While the sector has grown in the last two decades, a report from the Indigenous Curatorial Collective found roughly ten Indigenous curators in Canada in 2005, while only about 2.7% of art leaders in Canada were Indigenous.

As such, Gay, who holds a PhD in Indigenous curatorial practice from the University of Regina, and has helped establish galleries like Red Shirt Gallery and the contemporary gallery at Wanuskewin Heritage Centre, said she takes a different approach to curating than the standard, colonial practices.

“I don’t curate the way settlers curate. Historically, it’s older white men who have these roles,” said Gay.

“I see curators as people who invite stories into a particular space. Sometimes these galleries can seem like white cubes, but I think of them as sovereign spaces when I connect with Indigenous artists.”

That approach to art curation through community connection has lead to a nomination for a 2026 YWCA Regina Women of Distraction Award in the category of Indigenous Resurgence in Action.

“Felicia has had an incredible impact on the artistic landscape in Saskatchewan and beyond,” said John G. Hampton, MacKenzie Art Gallery Executive Director and CEO.

“In her time at the MacKenzie, Gay has exemplified the blending of mind, heart, body, and spirit in her exhibitions, leaving a lasting and emotional impact on visitors and artists alike.”

One of the special things about Gay’s curatorial work is that it ventures far beyond the walls of a gallery space.

Gay regularly connects with communities from around the province and invites them into the gallery to experience art. She has also travelled to rural communities, like her home of Cumberland House, where she has brought artists like Faye HeavyShield, to do workshops with those who might not have the opportunity to engage with art.

And Gay strives to provide opportunities, particularly for young people, to find their artistic voices.

“There’s so many kids in the child welfare system who aren’t able to come to an (urban centre) for art. Through providing these opportunities, I think it teaches the kids something – what art can do for us,” said Gay.

“You hear the cliche that we don’t have a word for art in our languages. Because it’s so much part of our ways of being, part of everything we do. It’s why we have so many terrific artists, it’s so much a part of our culture.”

Gay said she hopes to have an impact in her own way in breaking down barriers, decolonizing institutions, and providing more access to art and artistic practice for people in Saskatchewan.

“I feel that I bring something a little different, because I’m so closely connected with community and have so much experience working with native artist,” she said.

“When you see people connect with the final product, when you can see that shift within them happening – a perspective change. I find that really rewarding.”