Art speaks where words are unable to explain. A series of projects featuring Indigenous artists sharing with us their wisdom and teachings, e.g. drum-making, murals, poems, etc.

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Previous Project:

Rerooting Art Workshops Series (2021-2022)

We are all Indigenous to somewhere… where are your ancestors from?

REROOTNG: Art Workshop Series was launched in May 2021, funded by the Multiculturalism Grant – Government of British Columbia.

Residing on the unceded and ancestral territory of the Coast Salish peoples, as Indigenous, newcomers or settlers, how do our stories intersect?

This art series is named REROOTING with the intention to start a journey for newcomers and settlers to find a place on this unceded land.

Through the process of art-making, led by Indigenous artists and their wisdom, we hope to guide the community to paint a picture in which we are all rooted to our ancestors, REROOTING on this unceded land as respectful guests.

From 2021 to 2022, the REROOTING art workshop series has engaged Indigenous artists to connect with the community through a series of community art projects. During these workshops, Indigenous artists facilitated intercultural dialogues and created art that built connections between newcomers and the Indigenous community. Through art, they broke through language barriers and built trust and understanding across cultures.

We are grateful to have the involvement of artists Charlene Johnny, Leonard ‘Tiger’ Williams, Kallfümalen – Sussan Yáñez , Aaniya Asrani and Atheana Picha.

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"Earth Mother and her Rainbow Children"

The artwork is gifted by Kallfümalen – Sussan Yáñez, embodying the spirit and theme of the REROOTING project:

“This piece is a visual ode to our responsibility as persons of mixed ancestries or peoples living far from their traditional territories to elevate the voices of our hosts and help amplify the rights of Indigenous peoples to their lands, waters, medicines and relations and become stewards alongside them.

This mixed media piece is inspired by the prophecies of Indigenous elders heard from Indigenous leaders of St’at’imc territories. The warrior of the rainbow, those people carrying many colours of the medicine wheel in their blood and lineages, are the ones reclaiming the right to learn in accordance to the teachings of the land.

The natural laws which Indigenous wisdom keepers, medicine peoples, councils of elders, hereditary chiefs, ceremony leaders, matriarchs, and youth have carried tirelessly despite the open genocide that colonial forces have and continue to perpetuate on Unceded lands and bodies.

What is then to be an immigrant or a visitor on Unceded territories? Can we honour the teachings of Indigenous peoples, and demand that their authority, guidance and leadership is put forefront in the existential and climatic crisis that our societies are going through?”

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REROOTING Art Showcase in March 2022

The REROOTING art workshops series continues throughout January and February in 2022, culminating in an Art Showcase event on March 5th, which took place at the Clinton Park Fieldhouse.

This showcase celebrated the art and stories gathered throughout 2021-2022 and honoured the people who took part in this project.

SOFT OPENING : Saturday, March 5, 2022  1pm – 4pm

|Mural Unveiling ft. Atheana Picha

|Artists’ Talk

OPEN HOUSE : March 8, 9 & 11, 2022  10 am – 3 pm

|Artwork Exhibit

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