Creative Minds: Gordon Sparks and Jordan Bennett
October 30 @ 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm
Join us for a conversation between Mi’kmaw artists Gordon Sparks and Jordan Bennett! From different regions of Mi’kma’ki1, Sparks and Bennett will speak to overlapping themes in their practices, including land-based inspirations and traditional Indigenous tattoo culture.
Gordon Sparks’ hand-carved wooden masks is on view in the Mi’kma’ki Artists’ Spotlight within the exhibition Tan’sikatikl sipu’l | Confluence and Jordan Bennett’s work is on view in the exhibition From One to Many Natures.
Admission is free from 5-9pm during BMO Free Access Thursday, however registration is encouraged as there are limited seats available.
This event is in partnership with
About Creative Minds
The Creative Minds series hosts community leaders and creatives to respond to current events, exhibitions on view, or artworks in the Gallery. Through conversation, music, poetry, or movement, these events aim to provoke new ideas, explore the unexpected and create more understanding for everyone involved.
About the Artists
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.
Photo by Toonasa Jordana Luggi.
Jordan Bennett is L’nu (Mi’kmaq), from Stephenville Crossing, Newfoundland. Having a methodology that is guided by the land of his ancestors, his practice utilizes sculpture, painting, immersive installations, and sound to explore land, language, the act of visiting and familial histories. Jordan has taken part in over 100 exhibitions nationally and internationally and has received accolades including the 2020 winner of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award.
Photo by Ritche Perez.
1Mi’kma’ki: The territory of the Mi’kmaq Nation. Provinces that stretch across Mi’kma’ki are Nova Scotia, PEI, and parts of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec, and the northeastern region of Maine.
Featured image: Jordan Bennett, “Fat Tame Animals – Wikewikús,” 2020; Gordon Sparks, “Octomuwin,” 2023. Photo by Sasha Robichaud.