Using large premade crochet and knit pieces made of red yarn, Métis artist Tracey-Mae Chambers has created art installations in the Marianne van Silfhout Gallery, located within St. Lawrence College's Brockville campus, as well as on sites at St. Lawrence College’s Cornwall and Kingston campuses. The exhibit, entitled, #hopeandhealingcanada, is intended to raise awareness for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on September 30 and broaches the subject of decolonization and our connections to one another.
The exhibits were installed in Brockville, Kingston, and Cornwall on September 7, 8, and 9, respectively, and will be on view until October 30, 2022.
From the artist's website: "Many (but not all) of these public spaces serve to present a colonial viewpoint and primarily speak about the settlers who arrived and lived here but not the Indigenous people that were displaced along the way. The decolonization of such places is a ponderous task and must be shouldered collectively.
The discussion of reconciliation and decolonization is hard to start and harder still to maintain.
Therefore, I am hoping to use my work to help bridge the gap between settlers and Indigenous, Métis and Inuit people by creating art that is approachable and non-confrontational so we can start. As I am part Métis and European I am conscious of the privilege my 'whiteness' affords me and bridging this gap is in fact a form of self education and self healing." - Tracey-Mae Chambers
Learn more at www.traceymae.com
Installation Sites
- Brockville - Marianne van Silfhout Gallery, St. Lawrence College, 2288 Parkedale Avenue
- Kingston - St. Lawrence College, 100 Portsmouth Avenue (outside the main entrance)
- Cornwall - St. Lawrence College, 2 St. Lawrence Drive (inside the main entrance)
Artist Talk
In this Artist Talk, Métis artist Tracey-Mae Chambers discusses her #hopeandhealingcanada project – art installations that broach the subject of decolonization and our connections to one another. During the Artist Talk, Tracey-Mae Chambers speaks to:
- The inspiration and meaning behind the art installations, including why she used the colour red and why the installations are interventions into spaces generally held by non-Indigenous artists
- Where the #hopeandhealingcanada project began and the meaningful locations it has been installed in across Canada
This project is funded by the Government of Canada. canada.ca
