The 2015 Indigenous Education Summer Institute featured the Salish Weave Collection. The theme of this institute, Perpetual Salish, was inspired by the exhibition Perpetual Salish: Contemporary Coast Salish Art from the Salish Weave Collection, guest-curated by Coast Salish artist lessLIE and presented at the University of Victoria Legacy Gallery Downtown in 2014.
In June 2015, the 6th annual Indigenous Education and Community Collaborations Summer Institute, was attended by students of the Secondary Post-Degree Program in the Faculty of Education. In July, the Institute proudly welcomed the first cohort of graduating students with a Bachelor of Education in Language Revitalization.
The students got the opportunity to learn from and alongside the exhibition Perpetual Salish: In Print – featuring the prints from Perpetual Salish: Contemporary Coast Salish Art from the Salish Weave Collection and on display in the Wifrid Johns Gallery (MacLaurin Building) at the University of Victoria. The Indigenous Education Department and Salish Weave are grateful to Dr. Michael Emme and Dr. Michelle Wiebe, both art educators in the department of Curriculum and Instruction for their support. Michael assisted with the logistics and installation of the exhibition Perpetual Salish: In Print and Michelle used the design and production of the exhibition poster as a competitive project among the students in her Graphic Design class.
Sponsored by Salish Weave, the Indigenous Education Department invited Coast Salish artist Chris Paul from the Tsartlip community to join the four instructors of this Institute as the Artist in Residence. Chris added a new dimension to the students’ experiential learning by coaching them through the art of drum making. Educator and artist from the Songhees community and instructor of this Institute, Butch Dick, led the students gathered in a circle on the beach through closing ceremonies where students concluded their learning experience by drumming.