My many conversations with Ontarians lead me to believe that we view engagement with people beyond our borders as both opportunity and obligation. We are a part of a larger world and mutually vulnerable to change and unpredictability.

At home and abroad, I have witnessed an optimism about taking an active role in addressing humanity’s shared challenge, perhaps even with humility being an antidote to the growing temptation to turn inward.

As we seek to contribute to a global agenda of sustainability with its vision of social cohesion, inclusive economic prosperity and environmental stewardship, we would be wise to take some direction from Indigenous peoples. All too often we fail to acknowledge the ancient and enduring contributions of First Peoples of Turtle Island, the name by which many Indigenous groups refer to North America.

An opportunity to offer new perspectives to the global community and celebrate the Indigenous people in Canada has arisen in an unexpected place: Italy.

UNCEDED: Voices of the Land is Canada’s entry in the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, the world’s foremost exhibition of contemporary building design. This immersive and breathtaking installation gives insight into what a world informed by Indigenous sensibilities could look like: one that reveres the environment and reconciles diverse voices.

Selected by the Canada Council for the Arts through a nation-wide, juried competition, it will be one of 65 national entries to be showcased in Venice and is one of its most innovative.

From May 26 to Nov. 25 this year, hundreds of thousands of visitors will view the brilliant creations of these Canadian Indigenous architects, whose masterful works will, to quote Canada Council director and CEO Simon Brault, “force us to question the neutrality of our built environments and the land where they rest.”

Architects shape our world with their visions, creativity and technical skill, but above all through their empathy for the physical and social environments they inhabit. They understand intuitively that place matters and beauty enriches the soul. Those who developed UNCEDED chose a thematic metaphor about resilience that expresses a hope for the future that arises from Indigenous teachings of spirituality and respect for the oneness of people and all life-givers.

Taking inspiration from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, UNCEDED seeks to foster a new global understanding of the enduring laws, customs, and traditions of First Peoples. Project organizers describe it as bringing together “the past, present and future of Indigenous experience as seen through the eyes and minds of Indigenous architects on Turtle Island.”

UNCEDED’s uniquely Indigenous team is led by Douglas J. Cardinal, philosopher, human rights activist, Officer of the Order of Canada, and “world master of contemporary architecture.” His flowing, curvilinear building designs include the iconic Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Co-curators Gerald McMaster, member of the Siksika First Nation, artist, author, and professor at OCAD University in Toronto, and David Fortin, a Métis architect and academic based in Sudbury, join 17 architectural visionaries who give added meaning to their work through dance and multimedia storytelling.

It is my distinct privilege to support this vision of hope. UNCEDED has the potential to provide significant insights through stories of the strength of Indigenous cultures, the long journey of healing and reconciliation and ultimately of peaceful coexistence.

As Canada takes its place with pride on the world stage in Venice, we will do so in celebration and recognition of a more inclusive understanding of our cultural heritage.

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