“This art installation will celebrate the resiliency, strength, and creativity of First Nations people.” – Grand Chief Daniels
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 14, 2024
ANISHINAABE AND DAKOTA TERRITORY, MB — Today, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) is announcing an opportunity for a visual artist from an SCO member Nation to honour Survivors and those impacted by residential schools, day schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the national emergency of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two spirit, and gender-diverse (MMIWG2S+) people. The artist will be commissioned to create a mural to be displayed as part of SCO’s Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn, or ‘it is visible’ project, in the former Hudson’s Bay building in downtown Winnipeg.
“How fitting to have a visual piece as part of a project called ‘it is visible’,” stated SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels. “With so many talented artists from our southern member Nations, I am confident we will find the right person to give this project the care it, and Survivors, so richly deserve.”
The “Remembering Together” mural will serve as a visible commemoration of the impacts of residential schools, day schools, the Sixties Scoop, and MMIWG2S+, while also celebrating resilience in spite of the devastating and ongoing impacts of colonization.
This mural will become a focal point on one of the most highly traveled throughfares in the heart of downtown Winnipeg, promoting education, understanding, and awareness to the broader community. The project is being led by SCO’s Pathways to Healing Program.
“Time and time again, our people show all of us their resilience, strength, and creativity. This mural will reflect the strength and beauty of our citizens,” shared Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation Chief Trevor Prince. “I am confident that it will honour the legacy of our relatives and help us remember those we have lost, while also providing one of our talented citizens with the opportunity to further showcase their Creator-given talents and to grow their artistic footprint.”
The mural space will have three distinct panels—one panel dedicated to residential and day school Survivors and the children who did not return home, one dedicated to Sixties Scoop Survivors, and one dedicated to Survivors and those lost to the national emergency of MMIWG2S+.
“Today and every day, SCO does all that it can to properly honour and remember those impacted by all colonial systems,” concluded Grand Chief Daniels. “This mural will serve as reminder to never forget the past. I also hope it will inspire all of us to recognize the importance of continuing to create opportunities for healing and building stronger communities together.”
SCO invites southern First Nation artists to submit a conceptual design of the mural, three samples of their previous work, as well as a completed application form. The selected artist will receive $5000 and the opportunity to have their artwork displayed publicly in a prominent location in downtown Winnipeg.
The deadline for artists to apply for this opportunity is 4:30 pm Central Standard Time on Monday, April 29, 2024.
For full details on this opportunity, and to learn more about SCO’s Pathways to Healing Program, be sure to visit our website.
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The Southern Chiefs’ Organization represents 34 First Nations and more than 87,000 citizens in what is now called southern Manitoba. SCO is an independent political organization that protects, preserves, promotes, and enhances First Nations peoples’ inherent rights, languages, customs, and traditions through the application and implementation of the spirit and intent of the Treaty-making process.
For media inquiries:
Email: Media@scoinc.mb.ca
For full details on this opportunity, download our information and application package (PDF). To learn more about SCO’s Pathways to Healing Program, be sure to visit our website.