The Truth and Reconciliation Project is structured as two separate, but connected, art exhibits that will be shown one after the other at the Art Gallery of Bancroft in the Summer/Fall of 2023. Each exhibition will feature a unique mix of artwork and artists. We hope to expand this exhibit to other communities in the future.
Truth
Algonquin history is often portrayed in various forms of art. Algonquin songs and stories have been passed down from ancestors to elders over generations, and have been depicted in paintings, carvings, etchings, and sculptures.
For this project we have found and worked with local Algonquin artists to share their mostly unheard perspectives on Truth (and Reconciliation). Our experiences with colonization are different than those of Indigenous people from other areas. Our goal is to give a voice to many people who are unheard, and to amplify those who are recognizing and acting with humanity.
Reconciliation
Immediately following the Truth exhibit, we have local non-Indigenous artists contemplate their part in (Truth and) Reconciliation though their art: finding the truth of historical and current Canadian policies and acts that adversely affect the lives of Indigenous people, to consider actions that would remove racist policies still in place, and to ponder what Reconciliation is and what forms it may take.
Our goal was to gather a group of artists who are interested in this project, and work with them to create artwork under the broad umbrella of the “Truth” and “Reconciliation” themes.