Celebrate National Indigenous History Month at Banff Centre this June with Music, Dance, Film Screenings, and Storytelling

Press Release

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is excited to announce performances by Lacey Hill, the singer-songwriter known for her “Indigenous Soul” musical style, a curated lineup of short films from Indigenous filmmakers, the return of the Indigenous Virtual Art Market, and more.

BANFF, AB, JUNE 1, 2026 – June is National Indigenous History Month (NIHM). Recognized as a time for learning, honouring, and reflecting with Indigenous cultures, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity invites the community to celebrate the unique traditions and experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. Throughout June, events celebrating National Indigenous History Month will take place at Banff Centre, at partner locations across Banff and Canmore, as well as online. Register for or purchase ticketed events here.

Here on Sacred Buffalo Guardian Mountain, where Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is located on, we are honoured to be hosting Indigenous artists, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and welcome the community—Indigenous and non-Indigenous—to join us. National Indigenous History Month creates opportunity to meaningfully connect with Indigenous voices across disciplines and come together to celebrate the artistic communities that gather here.

Janine Windolph, Director of Indigenous Arts at Banff Centre

As a post-secondary institution dedicated to arts, leadership, mountain culture, and Indigenous culture, Banff Centre is honoured to welcome all visitors to campus during this month, no matter where they are on their journey in Reconciliation.

Watch this video invitation from Janine Windolph, Director of Indigenous Arts, Simon Ross, Director of Indigenous Leadership, and Deborah Green (Gopher), Director of Access, Inclusion, and Indigenous Relations. Also, hear from President and CEO Chris Lorway on Banff Centre’s institutional work in Indigenous Arts and Leadership training alongside our internal strategy to journey along the path of Truth and Reconciliation.

Lacey Hill

Lacey Hill describes her emotion-filled original songs as “Indigenous Soul.” The Oneida/Mohawk Wolf Clan, Six Nations-born-and-bred independent singer-songwriter has had a passion for making music since she was a little girl.

Throughout the years, Lacey has performed cover songs and sung backup for local Six Nations bands, including The Healers. She’s established herself as one of the few female musicians from her community to release multiple albums, including 528 Volume I in 2013, M (528 Volume II) in 2017, and The Moon (528 Volume III), her latest independent release in 2022. With each album, Lacey makes a point of hitting the road with her music, expanding her fanbase not only locally but internationally with shows in Australia, Edinburgh, New York, and central and western Canada.

Online Films Screening

A curated lineup of short films by Indigenous filmmakers from the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival will be available online from June 21 to June 27, now available for preorder. This week of free screenings will feature Indigenous-led storytelling, cultures, land-based knowledge, and voices from Canada and the United States.

• Borrowed from the Earth
  This celebrated 15-minute documentary explores the profound, centuries-old bond between the Blackfeet Nation and their horses. Throughout their respective histories, both horse and Indigenous people have been corralled. Fences put horses in pens and the Blackfeet on reservations, but the attempts to subdue both also strengthened the connection between horse and man.
• En Plein Air
  Two decades after the expedition that launched his art career, Indigenous painter Alfred Villeneuve returns by canoe to Algonquin Park. He pays homage to the wilderness, particularly the ancient trees or “standing people,” where nature is both his muse and guide.
• The Hard Way
  Matt Mendes is a Warm Springs tribal member and guide whose life is intertwined with the cycles of the Deschutes River. Taught by his grandfather, the first Native American guide on the river, Mendes has spent years carving his own path—one defined by patience, hard work, and an unshakable connection to the water and land.
• Iikaiksimatsa’pao’p (Grateful to Be on the Land)
  Cassie Ayoungman, founder of Soul of Miistaki and member of the Siksika Nation, embarks on a journey to bring the healing power of the mountains to her community. Breaking down barriers to climbing and integrating Indigenous teachings and land-based learning, she raises questions about representation and redefines what it means to be on the land.
• Shaped by Land
  Shaped by Land follows Adam Kjeldsen, one of Greenland’s only Inuit ski guides, on his pursuit of a sustainable approach to ski tourism rooted in Indigenous voices, local ownership, and cultural continuity.  Taking place in a country dominated by foreign operators, this documentary highlights the tensions between local communities and the polar tourism industry.

Indigenous Virtual Marketplace

Banff Centre is once again hosting the Indigenous Virtual Market from June 1 to 30. This online market connects Indigenous artists with buyers from across the country. This year, browse products made by 13 vendors showcasing their creativity through clothing, jewellery, beadwork, self-care products and cosmetics, home goods, and art prints.

Banff Centre’s Full National Indigenous History Month Schedule

•    June 1-30: Indigenous Virtual Art Market
•    June 1: Visual Arts Open Lecture Series: Maïa Tellit Hawad
•    June 3: Story Sharing Panel | FREE
•    June 10: Dance Workshop | FREE (Registration required!)
•    June 17: Workshop: Making Mini Moccasins | FREE (Registration required – waitlist only)
•    June 18: Workshop: Making Medicine Pouch | FREE (Registration required – waitlist only)
•    June 19: Cheryl L’Hirondelle Publication Launch | FREE
•    June 19: Dance Production Residency Performance: Waihona Kino (Body Archive) by Tau Dance | FREE (Tickets required)
•    June 21-27: Online Films Screening
•    June 24: Lacey Hill Concert | $25

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is excited to bring together world-renowned musicians, artists, and writers, as well as passionate audiences, for the 2026 Banff Centre Summer Arts Festival. Running throughout May to September, the 2026 festival invites audiences to experience a season of artistic discovery of over 100 free and ticketed events. Tickets are now available for the 2026 Banff Centre Summer Arts Festival.

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See Banff Centre’s Media Room here.
For photos, information, or interview requests, please contact:

Carly Maga
Director, Communications
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
tel: +1.403.763.6210
cell: +1.403.431.3423
carly_maga@banffcentre.ca

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