Salt Spring Island will see a new Indigenous Art Show open at ArtSpring on June 3, 2026, running through July 1. The free exhibition, presented by the Sweetgrass Arts and Music Society (SAMS), features four Indigenous artists whose work reflects story, land, tradition, and contemporary perspectives. It is the latest effort by the Indigenous-led group to bring more cultural programming to the island community.
The show takes over ArtSpring’s lobby at 100 Jackson Avenue, a venue known for hosting performances and visual arts since 1999. Visitors can expect work by Coast Salish artist Rose Spahan, Secwepemc artist Quentin Harris, and Métis artists Patricia Rose Williams and Sherry Leigh Williams. Each brings a distinct approach: Spahan draws on Coast Salish traditions tied to ancestry and nature, while Harris blends over thirty years of West Coast Native Art practice with a focus on truth and positive values.
Patricia Rose Williams, now based on Salt Spring, works in fused glass, textiles, botanical printing, painting, and photography. Her pieces explore ancestral memory, cultural identity, and Wahkohtowin, a Cree concept of interconnectedness. Sherry Leigh Williams, the president of SAMS, honours the Métis floral beadwork tradition in her art and has been a driving force behind recent Indigenous events on the island, including the Indigenous Peoples Weekend.
The exhibition also aims to include a dedicated children’s exhibit to highlight young voices and emerging talent. SAMS continues to work toward a permanent cultural home, as the society currently lacks a dedicated gallery or gathering space. The art show offers one more step toward ensuring Indigenous arts and culture have a lasting presence on Salt Spring Island, which sits on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish Peoples.
