As part of Heritage Week celebrations in Mission, a special exhibit titled “Aboriginal Heritage, Struggle and Reconciliation” is opening at the Mission Community Archives on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 3:30 p.m.
The event will feature artworks and photographs created by Grade 11 and 12 students from École Mission Secondary, inspired by contact with and stories told by Elder Priscilla Wells.
Teacher Tina Ranger had her Photography 11/12 students create art works involving portrait photography of Priscilla with the option of changing them into a shattered image or an image transfer – both with different intents.
The shatter pattern images created represent aboriginal resilience and reconciliation while the transfers created are intended to symbolize how “all things are connected.”
AP Studio Arts students taught by Kathy Baker were “allowed to respond openly, without restrictions, to the stories” shared by Wells. Through the experience Baker stated “we essentially came away with the idea that elders are the cornerstone of cultural preservation, and it is through contact and stories told to new generations by their elders, that we can retain traditions and cultures, even in the face of residential schools and other catastrophic elements of cultural suppression.”
The exhibit will be on display in the Mission Community Archives until Feb. 24. Show hours are: Feb. 21 (3:30 to 5:30 p.m.), Feb. 22 (noon to 8 p.m.), Feb. 23 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Feb. 24 (noon to 3 p.m.).
Also on Feb. 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Mission Museum will be introducing two new exhibits and five kiosks featuring video content. Check the museum’s website for their extended hours during Heritage Week.