UM is putting representation on display—literally

Two women embrace in a vibrant six-foot-tall painting. Gendered washroom icons embellish trans and genderqueer flags on a vessel of woven fibre and clay. In an India ink print, a stylized bison protects a strawberry vine beneath a stormy sky. These are aspects of three new artworks joining the University of Manitoba’s collection— pieces created by queer artists and selected by members of UM’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Through the Diversifying the UM Art Collection program, 15 artworks by 11 artists were procured during the summer of 2025. The program is the second project of this type at UM, following the Indigenous Student-Led Art Purchasing Project (ISLAPP) launched in 2023, and is a partnership with UM’s Office of Equity Transformation (OET).

Kay Maskiw-Connelly (they/them) [BAHons/12, MA/16, MBA/25] coordinated the 2SLGBTQIA+ cohort as part of their fellowship in Equity, Anti-Oppression and Social Justice through the OET, and they were also part of the art selection committee. For the master’s student working on their third degree at UM, being involved was more than a leadership opportunity; it was a way to make space and a chance to help others feel seen.

“An art project is really the perfect way for the university to normalize and raise awareness about queer identities, and queer relationships,” Maskiw-Connelly says. “There are still some folks who are not very accepting, and I think a lot of the time, it’s just this fear of the unknown.”

Kay Maskiw-Connelly

Maskiw-Connelly believes engaging with 2SLGBTQIA+ art can help inform new perspectives. “When there are these beautiful paintings like “Embrace” by Laura Lewis [BFAHons/18] which shows a female couple embracing—I think that shows people who haven’t witnessed a queer relationship that [they’re] very similar to a heteronormative relationship in the sense that there is this loving, respectful relationship between two people. Hopefully seeing that shows them that the university is an inclusive space and there are different forms of love and all of them are valid. Hopefully that creates more understanding and respect between people.”

The project recruited eight people who identify as part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to sit on the art selection committee— primarily students and a couple of non-academic staff members. Each person researched artists individually and then the group met virtually to make recommendations and view artist portfolios together.

According to Maskiw-Connelly: “The committee feels like it was an honor to get to choose these artworks collaboratively…that they were part of such a big project where the administration is investing this money and saying ‘we trust you enough to decide for us to represent your own community.’ That’s really empowering.”

With their selections, the group focused on queer artists who are local or Canadian. Their goal was to acquire a variety of artworks of diverse mediums, and some of the themes they explored were identity, relationships and representation.

Once they had narrowed down their considerations, Maskiw-Connelly would reach out to see if the artists were interested in selling their artwork to the university and having it displayed on campus. They also confirmed that all the artists were comfortable with being identified as members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

“I think every single one of them said they were honoured to have their artwork on campus,” Maskiw-Connelly says. “Especially those who had studied at UM; it really felt very personal for them.”

The final selections include a wool blanket, photographs, digital drawings, paintings, prints, pottery and beadwork on canvas. The pieces are now with the UM Art Collection Registrar to go through the formal acquisition process and when that step is complete, they will be installed in secure areas on campus.

While the 2SLGBTQIA+ version of the project is wrapping up, the legacy will continue— through the increased representation of queer art on UM campuses, and through the relationships developed during the project.

“I was bullied a lot for my identity and really hid it for many, many years and for various reasons in various spaces,” Maskiw-Connelly says. “Meeting a lot of different [2SLGBTQIA+] people creates a sense of community and a sense of safety because the more people you know on campus, you feel like, oh— I could always go check in with that person if I needed support, and I know there are people on campus who are safe people to go to. I think for a lot of students—especially if they are undergrads who may not know a lot of people, may not have come out until recently or may still be living kind of secretly or quietly— joining projects like this is a really great opportunity to connect with other community members.”

Help create transformational change: apply for the 2025-26 committee

The 2025-26 Diversifying the UM Art Collection committee will consist of 5 to 7 students and non-academic staff who identify as Black or racially marginalized. Committee members will meet artists and curators, visit studios, and select artwork by Black or racially marginalized artists to be acquired by the University of Manitoba University Art Collections. These new acquisitions will be placed on display in public and semi-public spaces at UM.

Deadline for expression of interest: October 3, 2025

Apply now

Have questions? Please contact equity@umanitoba.ca.

Teri Stevens