Indigenous musicians perform at Toronto pop-up art exhibit in afternoon concert series

Indigenous musicians performed on Friday and Saturday at a Toronto art gallery to raise funds for an Indigenous health service that runs harm reduction efforts downtown.

A pop-up art exhibit that explores what self care means to Indigenous people served as the backdrop for the free performances. The exhibit, Locating Self Care in Urban Centres, runs until Dec. 31 at Collision Gallery, 18 Wellington St. W.

The two afternoon concerts showcased Indigenous musicians of North and South America. AM/PM Productions produced the concert series with ArtworxTO: Toronto's Year of Public Art, 2021-2022, a year-long celebration of public art in Toronto. 

Lacey Hill, a singer, songwriter and speaker and Oneida from the Six Nations of the Grand River, Wolf Clan, said the concert series gave her a chance to sing in an open concept space. She described herself as an Indigenous soul singer and said it was a "beautiful thing" to perform. Hill performed on Saturday.

"This is my community here in Toronto. My friends are here. It's always nice to come together again after the pandemic and just be around each other," Hill said.

Hill said the performance enabled her to express the idea of self care through her music. She defines self care as "listening to your spirit" as well as knowing one's limits and boundaries and how much one can give. Self care is also being able to say no, she said.

"These songs came to me because I went through traumatic things and beautiful things and awful things and amazing things. These experiences, I can put into song form and share these stories with you," she said. 

"That is healing within myself, and hopefully, when I'm healing, you're healing too because I'm sharing a little bit about myself and opening up for you. And sometimes that's really intimate and really scary and emotional. But I do it because that's a part of who I am. I know that about myself." 

Hill said Indigenous people are always having to fight for basic rights in Toronto and Canada.

"We're constantly in a battle. Land Back. We're constantly fighting for things that are supposed to be in our possession or at least in our care anyway."

LISTEN | Indigenous musician Lacey Hill sings Love is Love:

Emily Granville, a music curator at AM/PM Productions, said on Saturday that the two afternoon concerts gave Indigenous musicians a safe place to perform. 

"It opens up a lot of different opportunities for Indigenous artists in general just to have a chance to play in an all Indigenous environment," she said.

Granville said the Indigenous community produces different kinds of music and it's important to understand that it has a wide range. It's not just pow wow music and drumming, she added.