Are you a local Indigenous artist interested in public art?
If so, this may be an initiative for you.
The District of Squamish’s public art committee has put out a call for Indigenous artists who work in any range of media including sculpture, infrastructure and multi-media installation to apply to its Truth and Reconciliation public art project, the winner of which will ultimately be installed downtown.
“This initiative is part one of a two-part public art project on Truth and Reconciliation for Indigenous artists that will honour Squamish’s rich cultural history and celebrate the creativity of Squamish’s Indigenous artist community,” reads a District release.
Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh artists are strongly encouraged to apply and collaborations and partnerships between established and emerging artists will also qualify.
“This project provides an opportunity for First Nations artists to further weave artistic expression, creativity and storytelling into the cultural fabric of our community as we realize a collaborative future,” said Mayor Patricia Heintzman in the release. “It is our hope that this project inspires thoughtful dialogue around what reconciliation means to our community, and further enriches the cultural experience for all of Squamish. We look forward to seeing the range of submissions from our Indigenous artist community.”
The idea for the project came out of discussions between the public art committee members and Squamish Nation elders, who expressed a desire to see First Nations artists given the opportunity to showcase their art.
The deadline for Truth and Reconciliation public art project submissions is Friday, June 15, at 4 p.m.
Submissions will be reviewed by members of the District’s Public Art Select Committee.
The installation of the chosen artworks is expected to be completed by February of 2019.
Part two of the project will be a collaborative project that speaks to the theme of Truth and Reconciliation, will be open to all artists and is expected to launch later this summer, the release states.
For more information about the project and to view the call for artists in detail visit squamish.ca and search for public art.
It has been three years this June since the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission released an Executive Summary of its findings along with 94 "calls to action" regarding reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous peoples. It specifically recommended all levels of government work together to advance reconciliation.
