To read the full story and view images, follow the link to Exploring Woven Relations at the Forks.

The CDPC shares space with StorefrontMB at 245 Portage Ave and has recently partnered on projects with Art City Inc., the Spence Neighbourhood Association, AROW Global and the community of Star Blanket Cree Nation.  For information on these projects please visit: www.umanitoba.ca/architecture/cdpc.

If you would like to start a conversation or are interested in working with the CDPC on a project, please email cdpc@umanitoba.ca.

With the rise of Indigenous student enrollment, and increased representation in the design profession, IDPSA believes that design education should be at the forefront of inclusion and understanding of alternative perspectives in teaching design. Twelve Calls to Action are proposed, and will serve as a road map for advancing the areas of recruitment, representation, advocacy, foundation, and resources. Additionally, the CTA will require a commitment by the Faculty of Architecture to advance the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in design education.  A full copy of the report can be downloaded here.

Karen Wilson Baptist, Acting Dean, Faculty of Architecture and Shawn Bailey, Indigenous scholar have shared the following comment:

“The Faculty of Architecture is grateful and honoured that Indigenous students have demonstrated strong leadership and made significant contributions to advancing Indigenous engagement and outlining a path to reconciliation. The Indigenous Design & Planning Students Association (IDPSA) was founded in fall 2019 by Naomi Ratte, a member of Peguis First Nation (enrolled in the Master of Landscape Architecture Program) and Reanna Merasty, Ininew from Barren Lands First Nation (graduating from the Master of Architecture Program). Membership in IDPSA has grown to include representation from all four of the faculty’s graduate programs and from the undergraduate program. The IDPSA is active in developing innovative curriculum, both independently and with faculty members. In 2019, IDPSA launched a tipi-building workshop and cultural awareness workshop for all 100 incoming Environmental Design second year students; we will be reinstating this activity post-COVID.

Naomi and Reanna are exemplary role models for all students in our faculty. They have led conversations about decolonizing our curriculum and our institution; supported other Indigenous students in the transition to academic life; hosted influential programing and drawn dynamic speakers to the faculty. Their influence has evolved our curriculum, and they are outstanding and valued members of our academic community.

As their leadership of IDPSA comes to an end, Naomi and Reanna leave us with a parting gift, Twelve Calls to Action for the Faculty of Architecture. These Calls to Action chart a path forward for the Faculty of Architecture and charge us with the weighty and vital work of decolonizing design education. Moreover, the Calls to Action shine light on how the Faculty of Architecture can become a leader in the recruitment and retention of Indigenous students, so we might better reflect the community that we live, work and design within.

The Faculty of Architecture thanks Naomi and Reanna for their vision and action, and looks forward to continued partnership with IDPSA.” 

Voices of the Land: Indigenous Design and Planning from the Prairies produced by the Indigenous Design and Planning Students’ Association (IDPSA), of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba. IDPSA was founded in Fall 2019, as a platform to host honest conversations around inclusion and representation. In an effort to broaden the lens of Indigenous design and planning, IDPSA actively seeks to incorporate Indigenous values within the design community through advocating for culturally informed initiatives, programs, and curriculum. 

Editors from left to right: Reanna Merasty, Naomi Ratte, Desiree Theriault, Danielle Desjarlais. Photo by: Courtney Champagne

This is the first publication produced by IDPSA. Voices of the Land features 16 Indigenous students, representing a range of nations across Turtle Island, and spanning all four departments (Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, and City Planning) from the Faculty of Architecture. In it, you will read profiles of our members, along with their artistic visions and designs. There are profiles of our esteemed faculty members and alumni. We trust that you will be inspired by the conversations we had with several leading Indigenous designers. Voices of the Land was supported by several local design firms, the Faculty of Architecture and the Canadian Roots Exchange. Our intention with this publication is to ensure that these important conversations on inclusion and representation in design education continue throughout Turtle Island.

photo by: Courtney Champagne

Voices of the Land will be a foundation for Indigenous youth workshops on design and planning. The workshops will help facilitate creativity, create space for youth to flourish, and ultimately see themselves in the field. We hope to begin hosting these workshops in the summer of 2021 through building partnerships with existing Indigenous youth outreach programs. Both of us experienced the lack of exposure to this profession as youth. As students of design, we felt a lack of culturally relevant content, and experienced the misrepresentation and underrepresentation of our Indigenous cultures throughout our design education. We believe it is important to celebrate Indigenous stories, journeys, histories, and success in the planning and design field. Our cultures, stories and connections to the land can have a profound voice within the profession that shapes our environment, places, and communities.

At its heart, this publication is an act of ceremony. We are proud of our Indigenous identities. We acknowledge that the path ahead of us is unknown. We hope that this publication inspires the next generation of Indigenous youth to find their voice in design.

A digital copy of the publication is available on the Faculty of Architecture website.

For information, inquiries into receiving copies of the publication and/or to arrange an interview contact faum.idpsa@gmail.com