(Indigenous painting revealed at Saugeen Shores Municipal Building) Photo by Nathan Shubert
A new painting has been unveiled at the Town of Saugeen Shores Municipal Office as part of the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The work by Indigenous artist Brent Henry was showcased in the town’s council chambers on Thursday morning, with Saugeen Shores Mayor Luke Charbonneau and members from Saugeen First Nation, including Chief Lester Anoquot, on hand.
The town commissioned Henry to paint a piece of artwork as a permanent installation at the municipal office, following the discovery of unmarked grave sites at several former residential schools.
(Indigenous painting revealed at Saugeen Shores Municipal Building) Photo by Nathan Shubert
The purpose of the piece will be to act as a reminder of the experiences Indigenous people went through, while residential schools were still operational.
During the unveiling, Charbonneau says he first encountered Henry’s artwork when he attended an exhibit at the Southampton Art Gallery earlier this year and notes, he was struck by it.
“Brent’s work, it’s painful, it’s hard to look at and that’s the point. It reminds us of the emotional impact of what happened at residential schools in our country,” says Charbonneau.
Charbonneau notes council realized they needed to do something to ensure the story of residential schools will not disappear, and ensure the reality of what happened in the past will not stay buried.
“As decision makers in our community, we are obligated, I think, to remember what can happen when as citizens, we look away from terrible things that are happening right in front of us,” says Charbonneau.
Henry expressed his appreciation for being asked to work on this piece of art for the town, adding he is happy people are discussing this issue and coming together to try and move forward.
“I started work on residential schools, painting about them before it was in the main stream media. The reason I started was because, I wanted people to know about it and get people talking because I found when I did speak about it, people didn’t know what they were, so that was my main inspiration to start this work,” says Henry.
Anoquot praised Henry for his good work, as he was able to depict the issues surrounding residential schools in the piece.
“It showed a great deal of support from Saugeen Shores,” says Anoquot. “Bridging the cultures is definitely a path forward for all of us in Canada.”
Anoquot thanks the community to allow for the chance to have dialogue and have a conversation about a path forward towards truth and reconciliation.
