{"id":16193,"date":"2017-01-04T11:39:36","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T16:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=16193"},"modified":"2017-01-12T12:37:01","modified_gmt":"2017-01-12T17:37:01","slug":"a-new-call-to-action-for-a-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/a-new-call-to-action-for-a-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"A new “Call to Action” for a New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brock Weir<\/strong><\/p>\n

The dawn of a New Year is a dawn of renewal for many people around the world.
\nFor Canada\u2019s Indigenous Peoples, renewal is part of an ongoing process and as Canada approaches its 150th anniversary this summer, the time is nigh for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous to renew and heal, according to area artists. Summer is, of course, still many months away, but there is always hope on the horizon explains artist and teacher Mary Louise Meiers.
\n\u201cWinter is a long time when you\u2019re living in a village,\u201d says Ms. Meiers, an educator specializing in Canada\u2019s First Nations. \u201cIf someone is endangering the village, the elders would ask that person to leave the village for the winter and return when the strawberries were in bloom. (Tended to by an elder) they were counselled so when the strawberries bloomed they were welcomed back to their community.
\n\u201cThey shared their story about how they struggled with what they had done and learned the truth about themselves and how they affected the community. They talked about their healing process and they reconciled with the community during the time of the strawberry.\u201d
\nNewmarket-based Metis artist Nathalie Bertin\u2019s mixed media depiction of a strawberry, called \u201cReconciliation\u201d forms the basis of a 16-artist exhibition \u201cCall to Action #83\u201d which has been touring Canada since last year, arriving at the Aurora Cultural Centre this summer just in time for Canada\u2019s 150th anniversary celebrations.
\nThe exhibition takes its name from the 83rd call to action contained in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which calls on \u201ca strategy for indigenous and non-indigenous artists to undertake collaborative projects and produce works that contribute to the reconciliation process.\u201d
\nBeginning with a group of indigenous and non-indigenous artists from Simcoe County, the exhibition has expanded to eight indigenous and non-indigenous artists from further afield.
\nCollectively, they began laying the groundwork for the vision at the home of lead artist Paul Shilling (Dazaunggee). After determining who would go first, the artists alternated between indigenous and non-indigenous, creating the works, each one inspired by the last, and known only to the successor. Only when each of the 16 pieces were completed did the collective get the full vision of their exhibition.
\n\u201cI was a bit apprehensive at first (when asked to participate) because reconciliation is a huge deal,\u201d says Ms. Bertin. \u201cIt can be overwhelming. It is not just about residential schools, it\u2019s about all kinds of things that have infiltrated everyday life. On one side, there is the apprehension of, \u2018Am I the right person at the right time?\u2019 because it is so huge, but at the same time, I already know a lot about the Truth & Reconciliation Report and everything that is going on, I knew what I was going to do with this.
\n\u201cWhen it came to be my turn in the process, I realized I had to put my ego aside because this isn\u2019t about me and my own thoughts. It was about the process and reconciliation.\u201d
\nIn the end, the image she created was not what first came to mind, but the image of the strawberry proved too enticing. While it is the traditional \u201cfirst fruit\u201d after a long, cold winter, it also symbolizes heart, she says.
\n\u201cI wanted to find something that was clear and direct that spoke to me about reconciliation,\u201d she says. \u201cThe strawberry is the first fruit, but it needs light, it needs soil, it needs water, and all of these things to become a full fruit that will nourish us. To me, it represents reconciliation in that we need to take a step back and remember the core of what it means to be human and treat one another, be kind to one another, and give each other what we need so we can all flourish as human beings.\u201d
\nWhen you learn about truth and start to heal, you have to go back to the \u201cplant teachings\u201d, right down to the root and down to natural medicine, notes Ms. Meier. People need to be humble enough to be taught by the plants because inside \u201cthere is an awakening.\u201d
\n\u201cRight now, we are historically at a time of great awaking to the truth and the truth awakening us,\u201d says Ms. Meier, adding that First Nations believe each one of us is born with talents and gifts which are, in turn, our own medicines to impart to the wider world. \u201cWhen we take our gifts and talent to the service of the community, we are asked to put forth what we can do to heal people. What is our medicine? When we look at our gifts as medicine rather than objects or tools, it changes the heart, it goes back to that root teaching of quiet and unseen. When you take a pill, you don\u2019t see it acting.\u201d
\nThis was very much a theme the artists took to heart when coming up with their artistic vision. The elders invited the artists similar to traditions where elders would send people out into the wilderness to seek a vision when the village was under threat before reconvening, sitting in a circle, discussing their experiences, all in the aim of coming to a conclusion.
\n\u201cWhat this project has helped me go through is healing of my own,\u201d says Ms. Bertin. \u201cI didn\u2019t actually realize I needed some healing and when I was recalling some of the things I had inherited, it set me on a course of healing. My hope for the country is that it will do the same for whoever was touched by the project, that they will gain a deeper understanding of how it effects them, and how they are putting it out in the world so, as we move forward to towards the next 150 years, it is not going to be about assimilation, it is going to be about inclusivity.\u201d
\nThat is a sentiment shared by participating non-indigenous artists as well.
\n\u201cBeing part of this art project has been one of the most enlightening experiences I have had in my life,\u201d says artist Jennie Clark, who took indigenous studies at Georgian College. \u201cI am not a person of a lot of words. The message to me is \u2018be quiet, listen to the stories, read the books, absorb the information, and judge not. Just be open.\u2019\u201d
\nAdds Jeanette Luchese: \u201cDespite what everyone thinks, this is not a First Nations problem. This is all of our problem. This is something we need to move together and try to bring an awareness and try to heal. The only way we can move forward is through healing.\u201d
\nAnd, in the end, healing can be one of the greatest challenges. Paraphrasing the elders leading the project, Ms. Meiers says they\u2019re at the stage of \u201ctruth will make you free but first it will make you miserable.
\n\u201cIt takes courage, humility, respect, and a love of truth, kindness and sharing on both world parts,\u201d she says. \u201cThe beautiful part about Canada is the concept of cultures coming together in a respectful way is still closer to the surface of consciousness here than it is in the United States. We have people whose culture has been dominated and silenced because the trust has been broken. The truth is now coming out, it\u2019s painful, but we have to be courageous and listen. No blame, no shame.
\n\u201cAmnesia can strike Canada, just as it has other nations. Because we are a nation of people who acknowledge the fact that we are immigrants, we can inspire each other now and that is what this project is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Call To Action #83, which hits Cobourg later this month, arrives in Aurora on August 12 through November 11 at the Aurora Cultural Centre. For more on the exhibition and participating artists, visit www.calltoaction 83.com.<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Collaboration between indigenous and non-indigenous artists to foster reconciliation continues into this milestone year for Canada.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-culture","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/2017-01-05-01.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-4db","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-18 00:51:53","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}