When Louis Ogema first envisioned the Urban Shaman art gallery, he pictured a giant glass drum as the main building, with statues and an entire campus of additional buildings surrounding it.

While Urban Shaman hasn’t reached that level, they are celebrating a significant milestone in 2016, as they’ve been providing a display space for emerging indigenous artists from across the country at locations in the Exchange District – originally on Albert Street – and now at 290 McDemot Ave.

“It (Urban Shaman) has impacted me because when an indigenous artist comes in and does their first show they have a sparkle in their eye and it’s amazing to see that,” said Ogema, an indigenous artists who was one of the founders of Urban Shaman. “For myself I presented a show in 1997 about my residential school experience and it just built itself from that point on.”

Urban Shaman started as a way for indigenous artists to showcase their work because they faced barriers when trying to get their work into mainstream galleries, according to Ogema. Now, it’s become an integral part in preserving and promoting indigenous art in Winnipeg.

Tonight (Friday, May 6, 2016) Urban Shaman is hosting a free showing of pieces from some of the biggest names in local indigenous art and pieces from the founding artists to celebrate their 20-year anniversary.

“We tried to choose works that were critical in the artists’ careers that got them well known,” said Urban Shaman Director and Curator, Daina Warren. “We also tried to pick pieces from times when major things were happening for contemporary Aboriginal art and times that were very important in the careers of these artists.”

Warren has been the Director at Urban Shaman for four years now and says she’s seen it grow significantly, becoming a starting point for some of Canada’s biggest indigenous artists.

As Ogema looks back on the past 20 years at Urban Shaman, he remembers the emotional ups and downs, but also how important the gallery has been as a business and a starting point for many indigenous artists.

“We’ve had clashes of ego and other down points but we always work it out and work back up,” said Ogema. “We knew that’s what we were going to have to go through as a collective, but as long as we’re working for the good of the artists it’s going to go well.”

Ogema isn’t sure if he’ll see his vision of what he wants Urban Shaman to become, but he’s hopeful he will.

“Whether or not I’ll see that in my lifetime, I don’t know,” he said. “It’s a gradual process but I hope to someday have that ribbon cutting ceremony and see that future met.”

In addition to the event tonight, Urban Shaman will also be hosting free symposiums from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and tomorrow at the University of Manitoba in conjunction with the U of M School of Art.