SEED Indigenous Youth Art Society

SEED Indigenous Youth Art Society
Name	SEED Indigenous Youth Art Society
Formation	2016
Type	Non-profit arts organization
Headquarters	Vancouver, British Columbia
Region served	British Columbia, Canada
Focus	Indigenous youth arts, cultural revitalization, mentorship

SEED Indigenous Youth Art Society is a Vancouver-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering Indigenous youth through visual arts, media, performance, and cultural practice. Founded in 2016, the society operates programs that intersect contemporary art, Indigenous traditions, and community-led pedagogy in urban and rural contexts. SEED partners with galleries, cultural institutions, post-secondary programs, and Indigenous governments to provide mentorship, exhibition opportunities, and artist residencies.

History

SEED emerged amid collaborations between artists and organizations linked to Emily Carr University of Art and Design, University of British Columbia, Vancouver Art Gallery, Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, and community groups associated with Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation, and Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Early convenings involved curators and scholars from Audain Art Museum, Bill Reid Foundation, Simon Fraser University, Native Education College, and artists connected to Urban Native Youth Association. Founders drew on networks including artists who exhibited at Polygon Gallery, Vancouver Museum, Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver), and programming models from Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Initial funding rounds engaged donors and institutions such as BC Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, Vancouver Foundation, Vancity Community Foundation, and philanthropic trusts connected to Ian Gill Family Foundation and The Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation.

Mission and Programs

SEED's mission aligns with cultural mentorship initiatives observed at Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada-informed projects, offering curricula that respond to calls to action cited in reports involving National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Programs range from studio mentorships and zine workshops to film production and public mural projects developed with partners such as Pacific National Exhibition, Vancouver International Film Festival, Powell Street Festival, and Vancouver Fringe Festival. Educational collaborators include units at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Capilano University, Douglas College, and community education providers like Native Education College and Kwantlen Polytechnic University. SEED runs youth residencies that engage artists linked to Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner, Daphne Odjig, Roy Henry Vickers, Susan A. Point, and contemporary practitioners with profiles at Documenta, Venice Biennale, and Toronto Biennial of Art.

Community Engagement and Partnerships

SEED cultivates partnerships with Indigenous governance bodies including First Nations Summit, Assembly of First Nations, Indigenous Services Canada-associated programs, and local bands such as Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation, and Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Cultural collaborators encompass Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society, Native Youth Leadership Development Society, Urban Native Youth Association, and arts organizations like grunt gallery, Centre A, Vancouver Art Gallery, and Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver). SEED's project partners extend to national institutions including Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Museums of History, National Gallery of Canada, and festival partners such as Vancouver International Film Festival and Indigenous Voices Awards. Academic linkages include research units at University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Toronto, and McGill University.

Notable Projects and Exhibitions

SEED produced exhibitions and public art projects drawing from Indigenous visual histories and contemporary practice with presentations in venues like Vancouver Art Gallery, Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, Polygon Gallery, Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver), and pop-up shows at Granville Island. Projects involved collaborations with artists who have shown at National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario, Audain Art Museum, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and international platforms such as Venice Biennale and Documenta. Notable initiatives included youth-led mural projects responding to themes present in works by Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Brian Jungen, Faye Heavyshield, Rebecca Belmore, and contemporary media projects echoing practice from filmmakers screened at Toronto International Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, and imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. SEED's exhibitions have been documented in catalogues and reviews associated with Artforum, Canadian Art, The Walrus, and coverage by outlets like CBC News and Globe and Mail.

Governance and Funding

SEED is governed by a board comprising leaders from Indigenous communities, arts administrators, and cultural practitioners with affiliations to Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Art Gallery, Bill Reid Foundation, First Peoples' Cultural Council, and non-profit networks like Canadian Conference of the Arts. Funding sources include competitive grants from Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, project grants from Vancouver Foundation, sponsorships through partnerships with Vancity Credit Union, and philanthropic support resembling models used by McConnell Foundation and Atkinson Foundation. SEED also secures project-specific partnerships with festival funders such as Vancouver International Film Festival and institutional exhibition support from Polygon Gallery and Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver).

Impact and Recognition

SEED's impact is reflected through youth alumni who have advanced to study or exhibit at institutions like Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Simon Fraser University, OCAD University, Concordia University, and who have participated in exhibitions at Vancouver Art Gallery, Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, and national biennials supported by Canada Council for the Arts. Recognition includes awards and mentions in programming by bodies such as Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Vancouver Foundation, and media coverage in CBC Arts, Globe and Mail, Canadian Art, and Artforum. SEED's community outcomes parallel cultural revitalization efforts linked to initiatives by First Peoples' Cultural Council, National Indigenous Peoples Day programming, and collaborative models promoted by Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Category:Arts organizations based in Canada Category:Indigenous art in Canada