The Start of the Journey…

“On June 2, 2015, The Late Justice Murray Sinclair released the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Summary Report. The report, which is 386 pages long and includes 94 recommendations, (came) ahead of a final report that (would) be released later (that) year. The aim of the Commission and its report (is) to address the continuing legacy of the residential school system and “to guide and inspire a process of truth and healing leading to reconciliation…”(www.oacas.org).

Little did we realize that his presentation would inspire a group of 29 Artists from Simcoe County to come together and answer the Call to Action #83 which states:

“We call upon the Canada Council for the Arts to establish, as a funding priority, a strategy for Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to undertake collaborative projects and produce works that contribute to the reconciliation process.” (pg 335).”

In July of 2015, eight Indigenous and eight non-Indigenous artists from across the County met and agreed to take part in the Call to Action # 83 project. We agreed on the following:

1. We would apply for a Canada Council for the Arts Grant.

2. If we did not receive a grant, we would do it any way. This was too important to let money get in the way.

3. We appointed a curator who would organize the project and find monies somehow when needed.

4. A prepaid line of credit would be made available at Curry’s Art Supply Store in Barrie, Ontario for any participant that needed help buying supplies to participate. It would be funded by a private donor. Money would not exclude or burden anyone.

5. All images belong to the Kind Spirit Who grants each of us the image for the People. The images are being sought and created for the People, not personal gain. If an artist wants to sell the original, the curator would find donors to pay to replace it with a copy.

6. The Curator would find 2 Western World Knowledge Keepers and 2 Local Indigenous Knowledge Keepers or Elders to supervise and advise us as we created the work.

7. A Bundle will be created to House the Sacred Feather of Truth and Reconciliation presented to the Call to Action #83 in Simcoe County by the Co-Managers of Springwater Park in Barrie. Scott Thomas and Myiingan Minonaakwhe (Jeff Monague). In the bundle is a white tail feather dropped by the last Eagle residing at Springwater Park. The Bundle will also contain Cedar from the Park, Sweet Grass, Tobacco and Sage. It will travel from artist to artist in the project to inspire them, help them stay safe and healthy during their work. Each artist may add something small to the bundle before they pass it on to the next artist.  Between Rounds, the Bundle will be tended to by the Curator.

8. We would begin the project with learning the teachings of the Sweat Lodge and then take part in a Sweat Lodge to ask the Kind Spirit to inspire us to create images to illustrate the answer to the question;
   “What does Truth and Reconciliation look like and sound like in Simcoe County today?”
   We would ask that the images “touch the hearts of all who experience them and inspire them to personal and public acts of reconciliation.”

9. After the Sweat Lodge, we would feast and draw lot to determine the order in which we did our work.

Each participant agreed to read the following documents so we all had a common understanding of the Truth and Reconciliation concepts, facts, and basics of Indigenous Anishinaabe world views. We were all pretty familiar with Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions but few knew much about the Anishinaabe history and world views. These 4 documents included:

1. The TRC Summary Report and Calls to Action

2. The Mishomis Book, The Voice of the Ojibway by Edward Benton-Banai

3. The Anishinaabe Almanac by Edward Benton-Banai

4. The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The Curator, Mary Louise Meiers, approached well established Western Knowledge Keepers and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and Elders in Simcoe County. Each was respectfully offered tobacco and asked if they would accept our request. All 4 accepted. They are:

1. Nawaatin-Kwe, Ernestine Baldwin, Elder for the Barrie Native Friendship Centre, member of the Unceeded Nahwash (Cape Croker) First Nation

2. Myiingan Minonaakwhe , Jeff Monague, Traditional Knowledge Keeper, former Chief of Beausoliel First Nation, Co-Manager of Springwater Park.

3. Dr. Austin Clarkson, Professor Emeritus of Musicology at York University, Former President of the International Volpe Association.

4. Beverly Bond Clarkson, Licensed Jungian Psychoanalyst and Past President of the Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts.

On the Night of The Blood Moon on September 25, 2015, the artists, Knowledge Keepers and the Elder gathered to enter the Sweat Lodge. We feasted, drew lot to determine the order of artist image creation. We agreed to come together again in June to privately unveil the images that The Kind Spirit gave each artist. The project was launched. Details of the process are to be found in the Round 1 part of the Project.

On June 19, 2016, we gathered with our images and privately revealed, for the first time, each image in order of the production. The results are the Round 1 section of this site. It was a powerful sharing of individual experiences during their work and the conversations shared at the hand off times. Each work was a complete story in and of itself. When we finished telling our stories, we realized that not only were they stand-alone stories, but they also formed a full rich chapter in a greater book. The Kind Spirit had given us a sixteen-chapter Template to “The Road to Truth and Reconciliation in Simcoe County”. It began with Xavier Fernandez’ image titled “Hope”. There is Hope that we will wake up to the hidden facts of the Residential Schools Legacy. When we learn the facts of everything depicted in the other fourteen images, then we must make a decision. Paul Shillings final image challenges us all to choose:

• Do we close our eyes to all that we have learned and return to denial?  Do we continue to pass the culture of denial on to the next generation for them to deal with? They will have to start all over again!

OR

• Do we have the humility, love, respect, honesty, courage to accept the Truth and grow in wisdom from it?

If we choose to see the truth there is Hope. Paul Shilling’s didactic alongside his image sets the stage for us.

Our first public reveal happened in Toronto at a private pop-up Gallery called “Summer in the City.” It was advertised in the NOW publication and well received. The Project found its way to a series of galleries and colleges in Ontario. The list of Public Reveals provided indicate the First Nations we consulted with for permission prior to planning a Public Reveal in their Traditional Territory. Each First Nation was welcoming after we presented our request and explained the Project at their Council meetings. We wanted to respect our Treaty responsibility and the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to ensure free and prior consultation.

After the final Public Reveal at the Aurora Culture Centre, someone asked what we were going to do with the images now that they have toured. Our one regret was that we had no permanent gallery to display them. The images were obviously doing their work. They were touching the hearts of all who experienced them and inspiring them to want to learn more. It was a loss to “have to put them away now.”

The next week we were approached by The St. Paul’s United Church Community Centre with the offer of a permanent gallery space where they continue to hang and inspire all who experience them. The Curator accepted on behalf of the Images.

Time Line of Round 1 Significant Events

• September 28, 1015-July 6,2016:  Image creation in order of draw.

• July 17, 2016: Private Reveal

• July 18-August 1,2016: Aluminum image of all sixteen works will be created by Keith Butler at X-treme Imaging, Barrie, Ontario. Cost covered by Donors. Barnwood framed by Steve Beatie, a volunteer. These were intended for outdoor instillations and travel while originals remained in Ogimaa Miskwaaki Gallery.

• Summer in the City Pop up Gallery

• The Art Square

• MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, Ontario

• Art Gallery of Northumberland, Coburg, Ontario.

• Nov. 30, 2016: Georgian College, Orillia Campus, Orillia, Ontario

• One Day Presentation to Students in School of Social Work and Police Foundations Students.

• March 17, 2017: Georgian College, Barrie Campus, Barrie, Ontario Presentation for Cultural Diversity Week.

• St. James Centre for Community, 24 Mary Street Centre, Parry Sound, Ontario.

• Collingwood Council Chambers, Collingwood, Ontario.

• Simcoe St. Theatre, Collingwood, Ontario.

• Luther College, Waterloo, Ontario.

• Ogiima Miskwaaki Gallery, 93 Peter Street North, Orillia, Ontario.