Brennan Mckay

The Speech Act Project

Boozhoo!

Brennan Mckay is Treaty from the Pine Creek First Nation. He came to Winnipeg seven years ago from dauphin, Manitoba, where he attended high school and is now a recent graduate of CDI college for social media marketing. Other passions of his include dance (jigging/ square dancing, contemporary and pow-wow) and photography. 

Brennan is working on Urban Shaman’s new partnership project with Winnipeg Trails Association called The Speech Act Project. In each language there is a differing philosophy between meaning, the constitution of sentences, concepts, learning, thoughts, references and intentionality. In philosophy of language and linguistics, a speech act is something expressed by an individual that not only presents information but performs an action as well. Generously funded by Canadian Heritage through the Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program – Indigenous Languages Component 2020-2021 stream. It is building on a previous project called, “Sacred Sounds” that is a campaign promoting cultural literacy in Indigenous Languages.
Indigenous languages should be a part of the official languages in Canada or at least more prominent given our history. As we are learning our languages and special dialects, we encourage everyone to learn with us.On the social media platforms of facebook and instagram, Brennan’s word exhibition will be post monday to friday. The purpose of “his initiative is to see the language in the digital landscape. And on thursdays, a trivia will be posted consisting of questions and answers regarding Indigenous languages, history and life.

Brennan Mckay began interning at Urban Shaman Gallery December 2020 and will be with us until October. He will be publishing his word exhibition, backed by his own photography, in Ojibwe, Cree, Dene, and Dakota for the next ten months until October 4 2021.

Watch for more from the speech act project, including continued regular gallery programming translation and for special off site programming in partnership with Winnipeg Trails Association in the 2021/2022 year.

COVID-19 Gallery update

UPDATES Of RE-OPEN February 10, 2021

Friday, February 12, 2021 Manitoba galleries are allowed to open to the public, and we are able to make appointments for visits to Joseph M Sanchez’s show “Niizh Manidoog Giigidowag / The Spirits Are Talking”. Extended date till February 27.

Dear Friends and Patrons of Urban Shaman Gallery,

*Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday 12-5pm

*​no more than 2 people per visit.

*30 min appointments are made by emailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) only. (this is to help us manage with our staff who will go in, and will assure your request is seen by all staff to confirm and be there.) Please indicate your name, email address and telephone number as well as the time slot that interests you. A member of our team will send you a confirmation within 24 to 48 hours.

*Patrons must at all times comply with the rules of hygiene and wear a mask in all spaces of the 290 McDermot Ave building and in Urban Shaman Gallery. (Masks are avail for purchase $1.00)

*Patrons will be asked to sign in when they arrive at the gallery. “Customer Log: Customer Log for Businesses, Restaurants and Licensed Premises…Under current public health orders, businesses are being asked to collect information to help public health officials track the transmission of COVID-19 and alert those who may have been exposed to keep Manitobans safe and reduce the spread as much as possible.” From the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority website” https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/restartmb/prs/winnipeg/index.html

*Hand sanitizing stations have been placed at the entrance of the gallery for your convenience.

*Please self-assess your health before visiting the museum. Are you exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, difficulty breathing, headache, body aches, sore throat, loss of taste and smell, fever, and chills)? Have you been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19? If you are exhibiting any of these symptoms or have been exposed, please do not visit the gallery and reschedule for a later date.

*Please be respectful of our staff and each other. We are here to ensure a safe space for everyone.

Thank you from Urban Shaman Gallery!