Honouring National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as well as Orange Shirt Day. The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. 

As part of your observance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, we invite you to read and reflect on the words of Indigenous writers and artists on the EAC blog, attend an Indigenous arts event, or tour Indigenous art in Edmonton’s public art collection (scroll down to see details).

Indigenous art and artists on the EAC blog

GUEST INDIGENOUS WRITERS ON THE BLOG
Last year, we started a new series on the EAC blog inviting local Indigenous writers to reflect on Indigenous art and artists in Edmonton through guest articles. 

Visibility trumps Tokenization by Kisik Whiskeyjack
On August 24 in Churchill Square, Indigi-Hauz of Beaver Hills, with the Edmonton Pride Festival, hosted an Alberta first, the ​“Beaver Hills 2 Spirit Powwow.” In advance of the event, we asked one of the organizers, Kisik Whiskeyjack, a local drag performer and organizer with Indigi-Hauz, to reflect on the importance of this event, and on the history of the 2Spirit movement, for the EAC blog. 

Reflections on the Horizons Writers Circle by Naomi McIlwraith & K’alii Luuyaltkw
Earlier this year, fourteen Alberta writers concluded their participation in the Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s Horizons Writers Circle, its mentorship program for writers within the Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) community, ESL, and underrepresented writers living in Edmonton. For the blog, mentor Naomi McIlwraith, and mentee K’alii Luuyaltkw wrote about their reflections on the Horizons Writers Circle program. 

Finding a safe space through art — a conversation with Indigenous Veteran and Artist Collette Cullen by Chevi Rabbit In an interview with Two Spirit Advocate and local writer Chevi Rabbit, artist and veteran Collette Cullen shared her story with Edmonton’s arts community, on Indigenous Veterans’ Day. 

Michelle Sound’s forthcoming public artwork in Amiskwaciwâskahikan by Emily Riddle
We asked one of the curators of Telus Transit Station, Emily Riddle, to reflect on the process and the significance of the public artwork by Michelle Sound, in a guest article for the YEG Arts blog. 

ARTIST PROFILES
Interviews with Indigenous and Métis artists published over the past year as part of our I AM YEG Arts blog series. 

I Am YEG Arts: Cikwes
Ciwkes (Connie LeGrande) is a nehiyaw ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ singer-songwriter whose captivating music takes listeners on an emotional journey.

I Am YEG Arts: Wendy McGrath
Wendy McGrath is a Métis poet, writer, and visual artist who works in multiple genres including fiction, poetry, spoken word, and creative nonfiction.

I Am YEG Arts: Donita Large
Donita Large is a Cree singer-songwriter whose powerful stories and beautiful melodies pack an emotional punch.

I Am YEG Arts: Sharon Rose Kootenay & Jason Symington
If the two fit, collaborate? For Sharon Rose Kootenay and Jason Symington, it was never a conundrum. Outstanding artists in their own rights, this duo’s collaborative practice is a natural extension of their friendship and respect for one another’s creative practices. 

I Am YEG Arts: Tiffany Shaw
What do architecture and artwork have in common? Tiffany Shaw — a Métis architect, artist, and curator who bridges together art and architecture from an Indigenous-based practice. 

I Am YEG Arts: Heather Shillinglaw
Mixed media artist Heather Shillinglaw expresses her Indigeneity and familial oral histories through collages that employ sewing, painting, and sculpture methods. 

I Am YEG Arts: Frances Whitford
It’s been said that grandparents are the voices of the past and the door to the future. For Frances Whitford, there are few truer sentiments. It’s why she describes her business, Beadwork & Bannock, as a creation of love and legacy to her grandparents and Métis culture.

Last September on the EAC blog, Métis artist Frances Whitford of Beadwork & Bannock shared the personal significance of the orange shirt she created with her son, Arden Herman, for others to wear in support of the movement, that she created as part of her own family’s truth and reconciliation. 

Indigenous Art in Edmonton’s Public Art Collection

A few notable artworks by Indigenous artists in the City of Edmonton’s Public Art Collection. 

Indigenous Framework Art Collection at City Hall

This June, the Indigenous Framework Art Collection was unveiled at City Hall. The City of Edmonton’s Indigenous Framework was built on years of dialogue with Indigenous communities while seeking to answer the question, ​“How can the City of Edmonton best support and build strong relationships with Indigenous Peoples in Edmonton.” In 2019, Indigenous artists Melissa-Jo (MJ) Belcourt Moses, Brad Crowfoot, Dawn Marie Marchand and Lana Whiskeyjack were invited to capture the spirit of the Indigenous Framework community conversations in an art piece. In a blog post, the participating artists reflected on their work and what it means to be involved in this project. 

City as an Advocate by Dawn Marie Marchand
The mixed-media painting’s overall theme of advocacy illustrates steps the City can take to live out the Framework.

ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ Amiskwaciy-wâskahikan by Melissa-Jo (MJ) Belcourt Moses
This art piece is titled ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ Amiskwaciy-wâskahikan, (Cree) translated as Beaver Hills House, the Indigenous name for this area known today as Edmonton. 

Heart Beat of a Nation by Brad Crowfoot
This art piece honours Edmonton’s connection with the First Peoples of this land.

pisiskapahtam (to notice and observe or watch) by Lana Whiskeyjack
In this painting, the central circle, which represents a lens in which the viewer becomes a witness, shares the relationship ayisiniwak (beings of this land) continues to have with Mother Earth since prior to Treaties and colonization.

ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞ Edmonton’s Indigenous Art Park

ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW), pronounced (EE-NU) is a Cree word meaning​“I am of the Earth.” The Art Park is situated on ancestral lands of the Indigenous peoples whose descendants entered into Treaty with the British Crown resulting in the territory opening for settlement. River Lot 11 acknowledges the historic river lot originally home to Métis landowner Joseph McDonald. The park is located within Queen Elizabeth Park in Edmonton’s North Saskatchewan River Valley.

The City of Edmonton, Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, Métis Nation of Alberta, Edmonton Arts Council and Indigenous artists and community members partnered to develop the Indigenous Art Park. The park features six artworks by Canadian Indigenous artists.

The artists created artworks that​“tell the story of this place.” They are: iskotew — Amy Malbeuf (Rich Lake, Alberta), pehonan — Tiffany Shaw-Collinge (Edmonton, Alberta), mikikwan — Duane Linklater (Moose Cree First Nation, Ontario), mamohkamatowin (Helping Each Other) — Jerry Whitehead (James Smith First Nation, Saskatchewan), Reign — Mary Anne Barkhouse (Nimpkish Band, Kwakiutl First Nation), and Preparing to Cross the Sacred River — Marianne Nicolson (Dzawada’enuxw Nation). The Indigenous Art Park was curated by Candice Hopkins (Carcross Tagish First Nation, Gaanax.âdi clan) — noted curator, scholar and artist.

Sipikiskisiw (Remembers Far Back) by Michelle Sound
2022 // Telus Transit Shelter
The artwork features images, documenting Indigenous relation to the Land in Amiskwaciwâskahikan, of an Indian Affairs Papaschase reserve survey map from 1899 and a photograph taken before 1907 of Indigenous men and tipis on the grounds of Fort Edmonton.

Tawatinâ Bridge by David Garneau
2021 // Tawatinâ Bridge
The Tawatinâ bridge shared-use pathway features over 500 paintings of the River Valley’s flora and fauna, and the First Nations, Métis, and settler histories of the area. Bridging the city, the artworks show the intertwined lives of the people and the non-human beings who live and travel through here.

PEACE by Adrian Stimson
2021 // Northern Lights Cemetery
This artwork honours peace — a universal concept that speaks to friendship, harmony, and freedom from violence. The depictions etched on the five aluminum-steel, laser-cut and patinaed panels reflect the idea of peace, as represented through animal metaphors relating to the military and the natural world around us. 

Tsa Tsa Ke K’e — Iron Foot Place by Alex Janvier
2016 // Rogers Place Arena — Ford Hall
The painting pays respect to the land area where Edmonton is located, highlighting the colours of the beautiful sky, the stories of the area, and clear waters from faraway mountains. 

Amiskwaciw Waskayhkan Ihtawin by Destiny Swiderski
2016 // Michael Phair Park
AmiskwacÎw Wâskâyhkan Ihtâwin (Beaver Hills House Park) invites the public to wander through Michael Phair Park and into Beaver Hills House Park led by a community of Bohemian wax-wing birds. More than 150 bird silhouettes make this artwork a three-dimensional experience as the movement takes people into the park. 

You can access this tour here to download a copy of the map. You can also enter a start and end location to customize the route. These are just a few of the artworks by Indigenous artists in the City of Edmonton’s Public Art Collection. Explore the collection to learn about the other artworks by Indigenous artists.

Want to make your own public art tour? You can explore the collection and create your public art tour by following these simple steps. 

1. On the EAC website, select See All in the Public Art section of the menu. 
2. Select an artwork from the collection by clicking the pin-drop icon. This will add the artwork to your tour. 
3. You can also select artworks on the map to create a tour within a neighbourhood or ward. 
4. Once you’ve selected the art for your tour, click ​“Build your tour” at the top of the page. 
5. If you want, you can enter a start and end location. 
6. You then have the option to download a PDF of the tour, share the tour, and open your tour in Google Maps.