Reconciled futures: An art camp for Indigenous youth
The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) identifies reconciliation as one of the four pillars that guide its work. Reconciliation has become a matter of national significance in Canada since the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Report in 2008, which highlights the harmful legacies of residential schools on the daily lives of Indigenous Canadians. It also demonstrated that social inequalities continue to persist across the nation because of this, and other assimilationist policies previously adopted under Canada’s Indian Act. Recommendations of the report were aimed at improving Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations and removing barriers, both intentional and unconscious, that prevent Indigenous Canadians from accessing the same opportunities and services as other Canadians. It can take many years to implement institutional change, but public programming offers an opportunity to demonstrate intentions for change with more immediacy. This paper provides an overview of an art program created for Indigenous youth in the Greater Vancouver area by Indigenous professionals working in a museum setting. The initiative was funded through a creative partnership between the MOV and the City of Vancouver’s Green Infrastructure team and resulted in the creation of public art that was installed in a Green Infrastructure demonstration project within the city.
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