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Cheryl L’Hirondelle / Why The Caged Bird Sings — Immersive Engagements

Here I Am - Cheryl L’Hirondelle
Image: Cheryl L’Hirondelle, Here I Am (installation view). Photo by Barbara Reimer.

March 14 – April 17, 2025
Curated by Judy McNaughton
Co-presented by Common Weal Community Arts and PAVED Arts

Events
Opening Reception: Friday, March 14, 2025 7–9 pm, PAVED Arts 424 20th St W
Artist Talk: Friday, March 14, 12:30 – 1:20 pm, Kenderdine Gallery, USask (Livestream Link)
Concert: Thursday, April 17, Doors 7:30, Show 8 pm, Second-Floor Event Space at PAVED Arts 424 20th St W

Why the Caged Bird Sings—Immersive Engagements is a solo touring exhibition by Saskatchewan-based and Indigenous interdisciplinary artist and singer/songwriter Cheryl L’Hirondelle. The works in the exhibition are media and sensory-rich transmissions using virtual reality (VR), video, hyper-directional audio and the olfactory that forge immersive experiences featuring the lyrics, voices and musical arrangements that resulted from the artist’s decades-long commitment to engaging in collaborative songwriting processes with incarcerated and detained populations in Saskatchewan. Included in the exhibition are nine original drawings from several of the participants and a listening station to hear all nine songs from the project. Additionally, karaoke versions of the songs will be screened in the street-facing window gallery for the duration of the exhibition. The final evening of the exhibition will host a concert with several well-known and versatile Saskatchewan musicians, including Berk Jodoin, Aspen Beveridge, Helen Pridmore, Joseph Naytowhow, Kurtis Kopp, Lily Naytowhow, Romeo Klyne, Ross Nykifouk, and Stacey Springall, with special guest Eekwol.. Immersive Engagements is curated by Common Weal Community Arts Northern Artistic Director Judy McNaughton who worked with the artist, beginning in 2008, to deliver the song-writing workshops.

The exhibition opens March 14 and runs until April 17 at PAVED Arts in Saskatoon. An artist talk will be held at the Kenderdine Gallery at USask on the afternoon of March 14.

Gallery Hours
Tuesdays–Fridays 12–6 pm
Saturdays 12–4 pm

Performers, Cheryl L’Hirondelle
Cheryl L’Hirondelle

Artist Bio

Cheryl L’Hirondelle (Cree/Halfbreed; German/Polish) is a community engaged interdisciplinary artist and singer/songwriter with family ties to amiskwāciy-wāskahikan (Edmonton), Papaschase First Nation and Kikino Metis Settlement, AB. As a songwriter, L’Hirondelle’s focus is on sharing nēhiyawēwin (Cree language), Indigenous song-forms and personal narrative songwriting as methodologies toward survivance. Cheryl has performed, presented and exhibited nationally and internationally and is a recipient of the 2021 of the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Art.

Judy McNaughton

Curator Bio

Judy McNaughton (Scottish/ Irish/Norwegian) is a cultural animateur and visual artist living in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Throughout her career she has been socially motivated, manifesting in cultural activism and socially-engaged projects that strive to enrich our cultural ecosystem. Judy has been Northern Artistic Director with Common Weal, she received a BFA from University of Regina and a MFA through Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.