Portage College

On April 13, 2018 Portage College’s Museum of Aboriginal People’s Art & Artifacts (MOAPAA) opened a permanent exhibition featuring Professional Native Indian Artists Inc., better known as the Indian Group of Seven. The opening of the exhibition was a landmark occasion for the college and recognition of the group’s significant contributions to the rising stature of North American art. A primary objective of the exhibition was to communicate how Indigenous peoples reclaim their identity by connecting with lost culture through artistic expression. This theme of reclamation through art was carried directly into the campaign, promoting the exhibition and its grand opening.

Our team worked with MOAPAA’s resident experts to ensure accurate and respectful representation of the featured works and the ideas that inspired them. The campaign concept centered on the cyclical relationship between art, culture, and experience and used the words of the artists themselves to reinforce the idea while keeping the focus on the Indian Group of Seven. Print and digital advertisements combined quotes and art from the featured artists, and were targeted towards art aficionados, students, and members of Indigenous cultures, with press releases and personalized messages targeting influencers in the media and cultural spheres.