Curator of Indigenous Cultural Heritage
2340 Albert Street
Regina, SK S4P 2V7
Ph: 306-787-1644
Email: bailey.monsebroten@gov.sk.ca
About
I’m an interdisciplinary scholar, beader, rug hooker, citizen of the Métis Nation–Saskatchewan, and auntie. I'm from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in Treaty Six territory. My grandma Flo's family names were Hodgson and Inkster. Our family has been largely rooted in the Prince Albert and Lily Plain area.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Studies from First Nations University of Canada and a Master of Arts in Media and Artistic Research, specializing in Art History and Indigenous Studies, from the University of Regina. I’m also currently pursuing a PhD in Anthropology at the University of Regina.
As Curator of Indigenous Cultural Heritage, I work with Indigenous belongings and the people and communities connected to them. My work includes researching how belongings came into museum collections, supporting repatriation and shared stewardship, improving access to collections, and working with communities to better understand and care for the belongings held at the RSM. Across my research and curatorial work, I am interested in how Indigenous communities build, maintain, and renew relationships with belongings held in museums.
Research Interests
My research is grounded in the ongoing relationships Indigenous peoples maintain with belongings in museum collections. I'm particularly interested in how those relationships can help us rethink what museums are and what our responsibilities should be to the people whose histories, belongings, and knowledge we care for.
My research interests include Metis art and material culture, Indigenous museum collections and collecting histories, repatriation and shared stewardship, provenance research, Indigenous museology, and community-engaged collections practice. I have a particular interest in Metis textile and decorative arts and twentieth-century Indigenous histories.
Research Interests
Stowed Away (Ongoing)
My PhD research project, Stowed Away, will examine the histories through which Metis belongings entered museum collections between 1885 and 1950 and consider how provenance research, community relationships, and ethical stewardship can reshape the care and interpretation of collections today.
The Basin of Little Things (2026)
I collaborated with Metis Elder Artist Margaret Harrison on The Basin of Little Things, a community-engaged art and skills repatriation project. Through a series of workshops and public programming opportunities, participants learned traditional rug hooking techniques while contributing to the creation of a collective artwork. The project functioned as a living exhibit, emphasizing intergenerational knowledge sharing, cultural revitalization, and community participation.
pXRF Testing and Contamination Assessment (2026)
In 2026, I worked with the Royal Saskatchewan Museum's conservation team as they assessed non-sensitive cultural belongings for potentially harmful contaminants using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) technology. As part of this initiative, I helped develop a tagging system to identify tested items and improve collections management, supporting safer access to collections for staff, researchers, and communities.
Loops in Time (2025)
In 2025, I successfully defended my master's thesis, Loops in Time, the first major study dedicated to documenting the history and contemporary revitalization of Metis rug hooking. Through archival research, museum collections, oral histories, and engagement with contemporary artists and knowledge keepers, the project examined rug hooking as a significant expression of Metis cultural, economic, and artistic life.
Indigenous Cultural Heritage Collection Online (2024)
Between 2023 and 2024, I supervised and managed the development of the Indigenous Cultural Heritage Collection website. This project involved working with the Indigenous Advisors to establish appropriate cultural protocols, conducting collections research to populate the database, and coordinating the photography of all non-sensitive collection items. The website improved public accessibility and transparency while reducing barriers between Indigenous communities and the collections that hold their cultural belongings and histories.
Students, Community Members, and Researchers
I welcome inquiries from students, artists, community members, and researchers interested in Indigenous material culture, Metis art history, museum collections, provenance research, repatriation, or Indigenous museology. Please contact me regarding research access to the Indigenous Cultural Heritage collection or potential student and professional placement opportunities at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.
