New Routes: threads across space and time

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 18

New Routes: threads through space and time reflects Raneece Buddan, AJA Louden, Garfield Morgan and Elsa Robinson’s investigations of how their paths as diasporic people connect their distinct artistic practices. The four artists share certain relationships to place: they all have Jamaican heritage and lived in Edmonton at the same time. Yet each of them has distinct personal and ancestral immigration stories that led to Treaty 6 territory at overlapping periods of time. 

The works featured in the exhibition share common threads and reflect the ideas they shared together over nine months of conversation: diaspora, Jamaican culture and African heritage, reclaiming power and history, and being cultural conduits between their ancestors and descendants. Highly engaged with material and craft practices, the artworks in this exhibition span painting, ceramics, sculpture, fibre and textiles, including an artwork collaboratively created as part of their ongoing conversations.

Accompanying the exhibition is an essay by Yaniya Lee, who contributed to many of the artists’ conversations during the development of this project. Copies of the essay will be available in the gallery.

Upcoming Programming

Mark your calendars for our upcoming Fall programming in conjunction with New Routes: threads through space and time:

Opening Reception
Thursday, September 18, 6 — 8 p.m. at Mitchell Art Gallery

Yaniya Lee Talk
Friday, September 19, 12 — 1 p.m. at Roundhouse Event Space

Online Artist Talk with Raneece Buddan, AJA Louden, Garfield Morgan and Elsa Robinson
Thursday, October 2, 12 — 1 p.m. through Zoom

Drop-in Art-making with AJA Louden, Garfield Morgan and Elsa Robinson
Wednesday, October 29, 4 — 7 p.m., at Mitchell Art Gallery

Image credits (clockwise from top left): 

Raneece Buddan, The Birth of Brer Anansi, 2023. Muslin cotton, acrylic paint, oil-based colour pencil, embroidery thread. Courtesy of the artist.

Garfield Morgan, Yorubantu, 2025. Oil acrylic and paper collage on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.

Elsa Robinson, Glory, 2022. Mixed media collage on birch panel. Courtesy of the artist.

AJA Louden, Enochs Thistle, 2025. Courtesy of the artist.