[
[
Moving forward is not about “ forgiving and forgetting … we need to understand and remember what happened and work hard to ensure events like this never happen again .” ~ Student , David Brown
Photo credit : Shuana Niessen at reconciliation . I believe that racial stereotyping and hurtfulness through attempting to reconcile is a common mistake that is made in our society .
It must be known that this overall experience wasn ’ t limited to the one piece that I write about extensively . Moving Forward , Never Forgetting is a compelling exhibit that is an important representation of our land ' s true history . �
“ Old Sun ” ( 2006 ) by artist Adrian Stimson
David Brown ( Year 3 ): A piece that resonated with me is one that is depicted [ above ]. This piece lifted [ my ] sadness and provided me with the moment I sought : serenity . This artwork created many questions for me . Not all emotionally charged , I should add . I had practical questions ranging from , “ How did he create the piece so the shadows lined up perfectly ?” to thoughtful questions , such as “ How can we create harmony , instead of putting our ' stamp ' on society ?” When I looked at this piece I could sense the stamp that the settlers placed upon our First Nations people . The imprint of the Union Jack on the fur lining of the structure showed me the impacts of world views on society . What this sparked for me is that it is up to us , teachers of the current and future generations , to dispel the hatred and work towards that harmony . We need to help remove the stamp placed upon First Nations people and help them move forward . We also need to teach our students about these events and tell the true story , so we can never forget how world views have such a tremendous impact on our society and our future . �
Brandi Ottenbreit ( Year 3 ): Feeling moved , touched and challenged by the exhibit is an understatement . I chose to comment on only one art piece and the emotional response that was awakened within . I connected to many pieces and could have easily commented on more .
The art piece I chose included a series of speech balloons between a mother and her two sons [ see next column ]. The two sons were chefs and they were calling their mother for more information on how to describe certain recipes and meals in Cree . They were trying to tie back to their roots . The mother , in turn , answered that she needed to ask her own
" The Phone Call " ( 2014 ) and " At the Feast " ( 2014 ) by artist Audrey Dreaver
mother . Later , the grandmother dies , and the mother feels the void in her life . The grandmother held all this cultural knowledge at her fingertips and in her heart . There is a huge void in this family ’ s life .
I can relate firsthand to this story . My grandmother , my mentor , has very little time left on this earth . She has been an inspiration to me over my lifetime . She is the strong matriarch , the one who held the family together and has all the knowledge of our cultural history and traditions . She lost her spouse early in life , but she kept forging ahead with strength , and learned to do all the things he used to do .
I have called her on many occasions for her recipes , for borscht and apple strudel and to talk to her about home remedies and how to make them ( my personal favourite — mustard plasters for a bad chest cold ). No one else in the family holds this wisdom . What will we do when she is gone ? Why did we take her for granted for so long ? Why is old world knowledge not passed down in our culture ? Why does it often take the back seat to new technologies , new ideas , and new ways of doing things ? Do we truly believe this knowledge is not as valuable ?
My grandmother used to say , “ You know , Brandi , everything old becomes new again .” She would also say , “ There is nothing I haven ’ t seen before in my lifetime .” As an educator , I want to work to bridge that intergenerational divide and to ensure that traditional knowledge and culture is past down to future generations .
Art invokes emotional response that calls us to action in a very real way . �
Visual Arts Ed students partnered with Grade 11 students from Monseigneur de Laval for their tour . Dr . Valerie Triggs says , " Both groups of students were impacted by the testimonies of resilience in the art . The opportunity for collaborative artmaking and discussion in response to this powerful display of art was significant for the students in terms of experiencing a conceptual and visceral introduction to the ways in which current contemporary artists are grappling in the present with past injustice ." �
Photo credit : Shuana Niessen
Faculty of Education Education News Fall 2014 / Winter 2015 Page 15