This is an archived event from Culture Days 2025.
Images
Mi’kma’ki Artists’ Spotlight: Gordon Sparks
In-person
Indigenous Sculpture & installation Museum Design History & heritageDate and time
Location
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
1723 Hollis Street
Halifax, NS
Access
Free, and accepts optional pay-what-you-may donations for admission.
Offered in English.
Wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral washrooms.
The AGNS offers free admission on Thursday evenings.
About
Gordon's exhibition at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is available from Thursday, September 20th, 2025 to Wednesday, September 16th, 2026. Admission to the Gallery is free on Thursday evenings.
This exhibition showcases hand-carved wooden masks made by Gordon. Throughout his entire process, Gordon pays close attention to sourcing every material in his work such as bear fur, rabbit fur, eagle feather, horse tail and moose hide to name only a few. He works exclusively with non-powered tools, performing ceremony through carving, and inspiring new mask carvers, empowering his community through mentorship, and renewing commitments to ancestral knowledge and wisdom.
“I strongly believe in the traditional hand-carved wooden mask, traditional ceremony, and storytelling. Each mask speaks to me, guides me, the tree that is chosen speaks to me to carve the spirit of our ancestors and the stories of our life givers and life protectors that live here in Mi’kma’ki, to be shown to all people of the land.”
– Gordon Sparks
About the artist:
Gordon Sparks is a Mi’kmaw artist from Pabineau First Nation, now living in Rough Waters, New Brunswick. Gordon harvests wood and animal materials through ceremony, carving masks that embody the spirit of Mi’kmaw stories, traditions, and teachings. Each mask reflects a deeply personal journey—guided by the tree itself—and speaks to the lives of his people, past and present. His work honours traditional knowledge, ceremony, and storytelling, breathing life into Mi’kmaw characters through collaborations with dancers, drummers, and regalia makers. Also a skin artist with over 30 years of experience, Gordon fuses tattoo design and carving to preserve and share cultural teachings. His work has been exhibited across Atlantic Canada and internationally, including at London’s prestigious Collect Art Fair. Committed to mentorship and cultural preservation, Gordon continues to guide and inspire Indigenous artists and communities across Mi’kma’ki.
Links
- Discover the rest of Prismatic 2025's dazzling lineup! prismaticfestival.com
- More information on the exhibit agns.ca
Organizer
Prismatic Arts Festival
The Prismatic Arts Festival is a national, multidisciplinary arts festival that showcases and celebrates innovative work by Indigenous artists and artists of colour from across Canada. Based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Prismatic has been bringing audiences vibrant, boundary-pushing new works in theatre, dance, music, film, visual arts, media arts, and spoken word since 2008.
Prismatic 2025 is on from September 26th to October 5th, featuring a cohort of immensely talented, multidisciplinary Indigenous artists and artists of colour!