Art and Climate Change panel talk: Talking Earth

In this public panel, Santee Smith will reflect on art as a way of knowing, a vessel of survival, and a pathway to renewal—inviting audiences to consider creativity as a vital force connecting land, ancestors, and future generations.

From her grandmother’s revival of pottery traditions on Six Nations to her family’s deep ties to storytelling and material culture, Smith carries forward a lineage deeply rooted in cultural memory and lived experience. Weaving dance, design, and performance as contemporary vessels for Rotinonhsón:ni worldviews, she illuminates enduring principles of reciprocity, respect, and our shared responsibility to sustain nature’s delicate balance.

Santee Smith, Tekaronhiáhkhwa (Picking Up the Sky), is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural leader from the Kahnyen’kehàka (Mohawk), Ohswé:ken/Six Nations of the Grand River. Internationally recognized for her contributions to Indigenous performance, she blends Indigenous knowledge systems with contemporary practice to create transformative works rooted in identity, land, and the human spirit.

Smith is the granddaughter of Elda "Bun" Smith, who revived pottery making practice on Six Nations in the 1960's. Until 2018, Santee worked on pottery design with her family at "Talking Earth Pottery". She is the founder and artistic director of Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, a member of the Order of Canada, a Board of Governor for the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity, and is currently completing her 2nd term as the 19th Chancellor of McMaster University.

The Art and Climate Program is made possible through the generous support of incite Foundation for the Arts.

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