Indigenous Art Intensive

This month-long residency gathers students, artists, curators, writers and scholars to engage in contemporary ideas and discourse—a place for new ideas rooted in Indigenous art-making.

Zine making workshop

About the Indigenous Art Intensive

UBC Okanagan’s Indigenous Art Intensive offers an educational series of courses, lectures, art shows, and opportunities to create art. It features a series of world-renowned speakers, a variety of related undergraduate and graduate credit courses, and a group of resident artists who will be working to create a new body of work.

Courses – May to June, 2025

Alongside the intensive residency, FCCS is offering additional courses in visual art, creative writing, and Indigenous studies. These will run in conjunction with the Indigenous Intensive with varying degrees of crossover, providing students the opportunity to connect with the keynote speakers and the resident artists. All courses are offered in Term 1, May 12 to Jun 19, 2025.

CCS 320 | Interdisciplinary Ecological Art

Instructor: Tania Willard

An interdisciplinary practice-based course that introduces students to artistic methods and processes for engagement in environmental issues. Restricted to students with at least third-year standing.

CORH 206 | Communicating Indigeneity

Instructor: Kerrie Charnley

INDG 495 | Advanced Topics in Indigenous Studies

Instructor: TBD

INDG 401 | Research Applications

Instructor: TBD

The planning of research projects from the perspective of Indigenous cultures and values.

Admission and Registration

The program is open to UBC students, students from other universities and those who have a previous university degree.

Indigenous Art Intensive  Program

The Indigenous Art Intensive features a series of world-renowned speakers, a variety of related undergraduate and graduate credit courses, and a group of resident artists who will be working to create new works.

Indigenous Art Intensive, Keynote presentations and artist panels

The 2025 Indigenous Art Intensive will be held as an in-person program where Curators and visiting artists will participate in a series of keynote presentations and artist panels once a week throughout May and June.

The curators and visiting artists for this year include Serena Steel, Sherry Farrel Racette, Faye Heavyshield, Joseph Naytowhow, Marie-Anne Redhead: Peter Morin, Justine Woods, and Nicole Neidhardt.

The Indigenous Art Intensive Blog will be updated with details for the visiting artists, keynote presenters and events, as well as information on previous years.

Indigenous Art INTENSIVE BLOG

Stay tuned for more details on the 2025 visiting artists and programming. 

  • Indigenous Intensive panel 2023

    Tania Willard, Krista Belle Stewart and Dion Kaszas panel discussion, Indigenous Art Intensive 2023

  • Invisible Forces opening

    Invisible Forces opening reception, Indigenous Intensive 2023

  • Indigenous Intensive panel 2022

    Panel discussion, Indigenous Intensive 2023

  • Zine workshop, 2019

    Zine making workshop, Indigenous Intensive 2019

  • WIR

    Writer in Residence, Richard Van Camp, Indigenous Intensive 2018

  • Woven Together

    Woven Together Artist Panel, Indigenous Intensive 2018

  • Elder, Richard Armstrong

    Elder Richard Armstrong, Indigenous Intensive 2016