Abbotsford – On June 8, Abbotsford’s artistic community is getting back to its cultural roots for Selxwi:chel Arts and Culture Day.
Taking place from 10am to 4pm at Trethewey House Heritage Site in Mill Lake Park, Selxwi:chel Arts and Culture Day is a free family event that offers community members a chance to immerse themselves in Indigenous art, culture, history, and traditions. Attendees will have a unique opportunity to watch local Indigenous artists create their own work and purchase Indigenous-made items directly from the artists. The event also features performing arts, such as dancing and drumming. Stó꞉lō storyteller Sonny McHalsie (Naxaxalhts’i), a cultural advisor and historian who has been featured in documentaries for CBC, Knowledge Network, APTN, and Omni TV, will be there on the day.
The goal of this event is to bring the community together to showcase Indigenous art, culture, and traditions. This was the dream of the event’s co-creators Tara-Lynn Kozma- Perrin and Tery Kozma, who created Aboriginal Arts and Culture Day in 2016. The event was re-branded in 2024, and since then the event planning committee has become its own BC Society, Selxwi:chel Arts and Culture Events Society.
The free event is open to everyone and is hosted in partnership with Heritage Abbotsford Society and the City of Abbotsford. “Everyone is wholeheartedly invited to come down to Mill Lake Park on June 8th for the main event, and to come see the Indigenous art they’ll be displaying in Trethewey House throughout the following week” says Landrie.
The festivities will include a drum making workshop, cedar cuff making and hair braiding workshops, and the Wingerz food truck will be serving up delicious food. The week following features an art show with Indigenous artists from the Cedar, Sage, and Sweetgrass arts collective.
