150, 2017

Glass beads, fishing line, pine
91" x 59"

150 seeks to disrupt the current dominant Canadian narrative by illustrating First Nations narratives from the last 150 years. It is a beaded installation that highlights pressing and disturbing histories that are shared by many First Nations people across Canada. This installation is made from 150 beaded bracelets that depict numbers relating to First Nation experiences in Canada during the last 150 years. Numbers such as “1870”, the year the first Indian Residential School opened; “1990” the year of the Oka resistance; “150,000” the number of Metis, Status and non-status First Nations, and Inuit children who attended residential school (this is based on federal government estimates); and “11” the number of treaties in Canada that have been signed and broken.

The intent of this installation is to draw attention to these stories to engage in nation-to-nation dialogues, while learning from the past to better inform present and future understanding and actions. This work asks the audience to contemplate the past 150 years but also to imagine solutions to the next 150 years. Viewers will have the opportunity to share hopes and thoughts about the next 150 years via the “suggestion box” integrated into the installation. 150 is symbolic of the celebration of 150 years since Canadian confederation, but for many Indigenous people this is a time for contemplation of the past and consideration about how to move forward during the next 150 years.

Photo credit Brittany Nickerson
Installed at The New Gallery, Calgary, AB

More info https://numbers150.com/