As part of the 2026 UBC Harvest Feastival, experience an unforgettable evening with acclaimed Gitga’at musician Wil Uks Batsga G̱a̱laaw (Jeremy Pahl) and G̱a̱mksimoon.

Performed entirely in Sm’algya̱x, the music of G̱a̱mksimoon draws its name and spirit from the awe-inspiring waterspout – a force of nature that embodies movement, power, and transformation. Through soaring vocals, driving rhythms, and masterful storytelling, the performance honours Ts’msyen cultural traditions while creating bold new expressions that speak to contemporary audiences.

Set within MOA’s soaring Great Hall, this immersive concert invites you to experience the vitality of Indigenous language, music, and creativity in a space where culture, community, and place converge.

Schedule
Concert at 7:30 pm (approx. 1 hour)

Please note: this concert is standing-room only; seating will be limited for Elders and those with accessibility needs.

Presented in partnership with UBC Inspired’s Harvest Feastival.

Bios

G̱a̱mksimoon, translating to ‘waterspout’ in Sm’algya̱x, is a rock and roll project created by Wil Uks Batsga G̱a̱laaw (Jeremy Pahl) of the Gitga’at First Nation. Inspired by the powerful and transformative nature of the waterspout, G̱a̱mksimoon’s sound is rooted in pre-contact Ts’msyen rhythms and melodies. By performing entirely in Sm’algya̱x, the project revitalizes the language while crafting music that flows with the force and unpredictability of the natural phenomenon it’s named after.

UBC Inspired‘s annual Harvest Feastival is family-style feast of six locally-sourced dishes, which takes place under tents on the University Commons. The meal is followed by an exclusive lineup of arts and cultural experiences curated especially for Feastival guests, at UBC’s world-class Arts and Culture District. Harvest Feastival tickets on sale now.

In the lead-up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Day Out at MOA aims to encourage learning, reflection, and greater awareness of the rich and diverse Indigenous cultures across our province. Explore MOA’s galleries and feature exhibitions at your own pace to deepen your understanding of Indigenous histories, artistic traditions, and living cultures.

Day Out at MOA offers an accessible and welcoming opportunity for first-time and returning visitors to connect with culture and community through art and heritage.

While you’re here, we encourage you to also check out Come Toward the Fire Festival, an annual celebration of Indigenous culture and creativity, taking place at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (five-minute walk from MOA).

Day Out at MOA is sponsored by BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC).
Learn more about BCLC’s Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan.

Celebrate the launch of the new book, Raven Transforms: The Haida Argillite Art of Kihl’yahda Christian White by Gary Wyatt with Kihl’yahda Christian White, with Foreword by Karen Duffek. The event will open with remarks by the artists and authors, followed by a Haida Cultural Performance by the Tluu Xaada Naay Society (Canoe People’s House).

Copies (including a limited number of signed copies) of the book will be available for purchase in MOA Shop throughout the day. Copies can also be ordered in advance through the MOA Shop.

This event is presented in partnership with Kihl’yahda Christian White, Candace Weir, Figure 1 Publishing, and MOA.

Bios

Tluu Xaada Naay Dance Collective was formed in 1996 (known as Old Massett Dancers, becoming TXN Dance Collective in 2006) by a group of singers and dancers dedicated to the preservation and growth of Haida performance arts. The performance group also gives life to the collection of masks and regalia created by and belonging to Tluu Xaada Naay Society.

Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision explores the enduring worldviews of ancient Andean civilizations through nearly 100 exquisite pre-Columbian ceramic, textile, bone and wood works, some dating back more than 2,500 years.

These works were collected by former UBC Professor Alan R. Sawyer and donated to MOA. This exhibition highlights Andean cosmovision—a holistic and spiritual understanding of the universe grounded in reciprocity, balance, and the recognition of nature as a living being. Far more than artistic objects, the belongings on display embody relationships between humans, ancestors, and sacred forces.

These 45-minute Not Your Average Tours invite visitors to encounter Tupananchiskama through the perspectives of specialists in ceramics, Andean cosmology, and collecting history, offering layered insights into the objects, their meanings, and the complex journeys that brought them to the museum.

Capacity of 25 people per tour; first come, first served.

Schedule
Select Thursdays | 7 pm

April 30: Carol Sawyer (visual artist and daughter of Alan Reed Sawyer and Erika H Sawyer whose donated collection form the basis of the exhibition)

CANCELLED — May 28: Dr. Alexandra M. Peck (inaugural Audain Chair in Historical Indigenous Art & Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Art History, Visual Art, & Theory) — Cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances

June 25: Pao Noriega (Indigenous Andean Ñusta Paqo, Mesa Carrier, Original Peoples Advocate, conscious coach, and knowledge keeper)

Tour in Spanish/Visita guiada en español | 6 pm
Tour in English | 7 pm

September 24: Dr. Aleksa Alaica (Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Anthropology).

Bios

Carol Sawyer (she/her) is a visual artist and singer working with photography, installation, video, and improvised music. Since the early 1990’s her visual art work has investigated the connections between photography and fiction, performance, memory, and history. Collection donations from her parents, Alan Reed Sawyer and Erika H Sawyer, form the basis of the exhibition.

Dr. Alexandra M. Peck serves as the inaugural Audain Chair in Historical Indigenous Art & Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Art History, Visual Art, & Theory. She is an anthropologist and material culture specialist with a research focus on Pacific Northwest Native art, archaeology, and geography.

Pao Noriega is an Indigenous Andean Ñusta Paqo, Mesa Carrier, Original Peoples Advocate, conscious coach, and knowledge keeper born in Peru and initiated into the sacred Q’ero lineage. She carries the Quechua, Aymara, and Amazonian roots of her ancestors and shares their teachings with integrity and devotion. Her work bridges ancestral Earth based technology with modern science for healing and transformation.

Aleksa K. Alaica is Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. She is an anthropological archaeologist interested in the interactions between humans and animals in the Andes. She investigates the way different animal species influenced and shaped past cultures, with much of her work examining Moche material culture, animal bone remains, and their rich iconographic record.