Dwadę'nyota' Dwaga:'shǫ:'ǫh "We Celebrate our Stories" Capital Campaign
Woodland Cultural Centre welcomes Salah Bachir and Phamous Characters to help realize C$65M capital campaign
BRANTFORD, ON, June 4, 2024 /CNW/ - The Woodland Cultural Centre (WCC) is proud to announce its collaboration with Phamous Characters, alongside esteemed philanthropist and fundraiser Salah Bachir, to drive fundraising and lead the development campaign for a transformative new museum building. Bachir joins the chairs of the capital campaign: trailblazer, activist and former Chief Ava Hill; renowned executive Ron Jamieson, C.M, O.Ont.; and WCC Executive Director Heather George.
The Woodland Cultural Centre — currently housed in a retrofitted Residential School building — is embarking on this project to build a new Cultural Centre which will serve as a hub for Hodinohsho:ni knowledge and Indigenous culture. This ambitious initiative, estimated at $65 million, aims to create a dynamic space adhering to top museum and gallery standards. Sustainability is key — with plans for eco-friendly features such as a green roof and natural lighting. The Centre seeks to honor history, amplify Indigenous voices, and support environmental well-being.
The WCC - which is supported by the Indigenous communities of Six Nations of the Grand River, Wahta and Tyendinaga - serves to preserve, promote, and strengthen Indigenous language, culture, art, and history, bringing the story of the Hodinohsho:ni people of the Eastern Woodlands to life through innovative exhibitions and programs. The Centre is located on the grounds of the oldest and longest-running Residential School in Canada, on the territorial lands of Six Nations of the Grand River, in Brantford, Ontario, where it was established in October 1972 upon the closure of the Mohawk Institute Residential School (MI). The WCC's focus began with collecting research and artifacts as it developed its library and museum collections, expanding to include contemporary Indigenous arts in 1975 and a language program in 1984.
As the organization celebrates over 50 years in operation and looks forward to the next 50, it is critical to share Indigenous history and celebrate Indigenous artists in a new, state-of-the-art space that holds connection to the land.
A modern, purpose-built architectural space designed by local Brian Porter of Two Row Architects — an entirely Indigenous-owned business from the Six Nations of the Grand River — will safely house more than 35,000 artifacts while revitalizing culture and language by sharing Indigenous stories in an array of indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing the cultural centre to truly deliver on its mission, as the only fully restored and interpretive site of its kind, to protect, promote, interpret, and present the Hodinohsho:ni worldview — past, present, and future — to large numbers of national and international visitors, promoting cross-cultural dialogue and learning for all peoples.
To find out more about the Woodland Cultural Centre, visit https://woodlandculturalcentre.ca/
Salah Bachir and Phamous Characters have worked on several successful capital campaigns, including naming rights, sponsorship, and development. To contact Salah Bachir, please email [email protected].
SOURCE Phamous Characters
Media Contacts: Spencer Howes (He/Him), Phamous Characters, [email protected] OR Trisha Kelly (She/Her), Woodland Cultural Centre, [email protected]
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