Presented at The Bows together with The National accessArts Centre and the Ways of Knowing Artist Cohort

Opening Receptions:

October 19
12 - 3 pm
lower sensory
dry opening

6 - 9 pm  
food and refreshments will be available at both

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together with, all at once (mâmawi) brings together the stories and artworks of seven Calgary-based artists with the National accessArts Centre Ways of Knowing artist cohort.

Over the past year, Kathy M. Austin, Paul Brain, Daniel Desaulniers, Lucas Kayseas, Jessica Kowalski, Andre Paradis, and Kacy Salkeld have met weekly with Métis artist and cohort lead Kay Thomas to share stories, ask questions, and learn about how artists living with disabilities can engage with the histories and cultural practices of Indigenous Peoples of Treaty 7 Territory.

The artists’ works presented here were created in response to these conversations and seek to honour the teachings they have received about what respect for the land can look like when Indigenous ways of knowing and making are held at the centre.

Paintings by Lucas Kayseas and Daniel Desaulniers reflect on personal and emotional relationships with landscapes and formations, both real and imagined. Andre Paradis’ video work explores his close friendship with fellow artist Roby King and invites us to witness the care held between two friends in a special country place. 

Kathy M. Austin’s installation considers the relationships between land, home, and family, reflecting how we may express care by honouring the lands and special places that have cared for us and our loved ones. Paul Brain and Jessica Kowalski take on material explorations to reflect on the ways that colonial histories and worldviews disrupt and destroy balance found in nature. 

Kacy Salkeld’s life-size self-portrait combines her Scottish ancestry with plants and animals from this region, offering a vibrant space for reflection on how ancestral histories connect with the histories of other living things.

The title of this exhibition, together with, all at once (mâmawi), comes from cohort lead Kay Thomas. It describes the ways the artists have made space through their practices for collaboration, care, and honouring their relationships with each other and the lands they share. In response, the artists wrote the following collaborative poem, which speaks to their individual and collective experiences through the Ways of Knowing cohort.


     we all work together 

     we all have fun

     brain our mind together as one 

     creativity blossoms 

     the brain explores new ideas

     we have a beautiful day on the land 

     a shared journey echoes the ancestors‍

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together with, all at once (mâmawi) marks the first collaboration between the National accessArts Centre Ways of Knowing artist cohort and The Bows. An intentional act of relationship building, our work together seeks to honour and continue the work of an exploratory land acknowledgment project housed by The Bows called Living Text.

The invitation for this collaboration was initially presented to Blackfoot/Dane-zaa Cree artist and member of Siksika Nation, Richelle Bear Hat, a core contributor to Living Text and the creator of the Ways of Knowing artist cohort, who sewed the initial seeds for the program with NaAC and nurtured its growth during its first two years.

‍Living Text is a project and digital archive about acknowledging land: its past, present and future, and the people who have cared for it since time immemorial, who care for and defend it today, and who will continue to care for and defend it in the years, decades and centuries to come. The work of Living Text was formed through conversations held in 2019 between Richelle Bear Hat, Natasha Chaykowski, Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal, and Curtis Running Rabbit-Lefthand.

We would like to thank Richelle Bear Hat, Ginger Carlson, Toni Cormier, Yvonne Kustec, Wednesday Lupypciw, Kylie Poppe, Raewyn Reid, and Katie Wackett for the generous support that they have provided throughout the development of this exhibition.

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The National accessArts Centre (NaAC), formerly the In-Definite Arts Society founded in 1975, was created in 2020 following its amalgamation with Momo Movement and Artistic Expressions, becoming Canada’s first multidisciplinary disability arts organization. NaAC provides artistic training, creation, and exhibition opportunities for over 300 artists with developmental, physical, and acquired disabilities, offering on-site studio support and workshops, as well as immersive programming in the community, ensuring our artists are actively engaged with the broader public and fostering connections beyond the studio. Operating a multidisciplinary studio in Calgary and the Won Lee Community Arts Hub in Toronto, NaAC promotes creativity and inclusion through local and international partnerships, advocating for the integration of artists with disabilities into the global arts and culture ecosystem.

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Kathy M. Austin is an interdisciplinary artist who is legally blind. She is a dancer and theatre practitioner – and above all, a strong advocate for the inclusion of artists with disabilities. Her work has been included in group exhibitions including “Drawing Connections” at the Siena Art Institute in Siena, Italy (2011), “IGNITE Festival” at Pumphouse Theatre in Calgary (2013), and “Connections” at the Dubai International Airport in Dubai, UAE (2019). She has participated in artist residencies with Contemporary Calgary (2020), the Calgary Allied Arts Foundation (2021), and the Canadian Accessible Musical Instruments Network (2022). Her work “Flower Garden” (2016) was acquired by Global Affairs Canada in 2021. Kathy joined the Ways of Knowing artist cohort because of her love of storytelling and endless pursuit of learning and views learning in a group as a privilege.

Paul Brain is an award-winning contemporary artist who aims to reshape the landscape of disability art. Hailing from Hong Kong and now Calgary-based, his work reflects his profound journey from Asia to Canada and is infused with personal transformation. Following a life-altering brain-reconstructing surgery in 2021, Paul's art delves into themes of resilience and enlightenment. His vibrant, emotive creations invite viewers into a world of compassion and boundless imagination. Paul is not just an artist; he's a storyteller whose canvas speaks to triumph over adversity.

Daniel Desaulniers has been an artist at the NaAC since 1998. His practice includes sculpture, painting, drawing, and intricate needlework on fibre. His work has been exhibited in several group shows including “Albertan Perspectives” at the Alberta Hong Kong Office in Hong Kong (2018), “Pushing Boundaries’ at the Leighton Art Centre in Calgary (2018), and “Limitless Realities” at ATB Stephen Ave Gallery in Calgary (2020). Daniel joined the Ways of Knowing artist cohort to learn more about Indigenous art practices. He puts a lot of labour into his work and is keen to learn more about other labour-intensive practices like beading. 

Lucas Kayseas is an artist who is originally from Saskatchewan and now based in Calgary. Lucas finds solace and clarity through his artmaking. While drawing has been a long standing passion, his recent journey into painting has been one of exploration and learning. As Lucas moves through the city, he absorbs the movement of streets and people to draw inspiration for his work. Through painting, he finds himself engrossed in the act of creation, momentarily disconnected from the distractions of the external world. 

Jessica Kowalski is a Calgary-born and raised artist who lives among her seven chihuahuas. She works in many mediums, including fibre, painting, drawing, sculpture, and photography. A fascination with texture runs through all of her work and she often explores the people, places, and things she wants, desires, or wishes. For Jessica, artmaking is always focused on connecting with herself and others.

Jessica has been a NaAC artist for 22 years. Since starting with the NaAC, she has participated in numerous professional track programs, including Fibre Guild, artShare, workshops, and residencies. She has shown her artwork locally, nationally, and internationally, with recent exhibitions at Contemporary Calgary (2024) and at Theatre Junction Grand through the Ways of Knowing cohort (2023).

Andre Paradis is a born and raised Calgary artist who has created art with the NaAC for seventeen years. As a multidisciplinary artist, Andre enjoys trying anything and everything the NaAC has to offer. The NaAC community is very important to him, and he enjoys making art alongside his fellow friends and artists. Outside of art, Andre enjoys bowling and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. Andre is very keen to learn about other cultures and joined the NaAC’s Korea Art Exchange project in 2021. He has exhibited his artworks in Seoul, Korea (2021), and more recently, with ArtsPlace in Canmore, Alberta (2024), Open Spaces with Calgary Public Art (2024), Contemporary Calgary (2024), and the Heritage Park Festival of Quilts (2023 and 2024). Andre finds much of his inspiration through cultural learning and meeting new people, and he often acts as the welcoming ambassador for the Ways of Knowing cohort.

Kacy Salkeld joined the Ways of Knowing artist cohort because she recognized a gap in her education about local Indigenous culture. She is very passionate about sharing her learnings with her community in ways that also make them feel connected to the reconciliation process. Kacy enjoys learning as a group and from many different types of people. She has explored digital animation with artist Cindy Baker (2021), was commissioned to make public works by ATB in Calgary (2021-22), and her work has been included in several group shows including “Limitless Realities” at ATB Stephen Ave Gallery in Calgary (2020).

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Kay Thomas (they/them) is a Ukrainian, Russian Doukhobor, Michif Nêhiyaw member of the Otipemisiwak Métis Nation and the Manitoba Métis Federation. They were born and raised in Amiskwaciwaskahikan (Edmonton), Treaty 6. Kay currently resides as a guest in Otōskwanihk (Calgary), Treaty 7, after moving to Calgary in 2013 to obtain their Bachelor ofFine Arts degree from Alberta University of the Arts. Kay continues to find new ways to connect with the world creatively, whether through Indigenous language revitalization, beadwork, writing, wild foraged ink-making, or playing music. Kay also considers raising their child while resisting cisgender parenting stereotypes as an embodied practice of Transgender art making. Their poetry has been published in Room Magazine, the Polyglot, and the 2SQTBIPOC dream anthology Behind Shut Eyes. In 2022, Room Magazine nominated Kay’s poem “Prayer/Reminder ” for the Best New Poets Anthology.

Kay has witnessed how Indigenous knowledges can connect and heal communities when proper protocol is observed, knowledge keepers are honoured appropriately, and relationships are ongoing: tended to and sustained. Kay’s experiences coordinating and facilitating programming with the Ways of Knowing artist cohort have helped them reimagine their understandings of the Land—not as a place, but as a relationship formed through daily, creative collaboration.

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