The Witness Blanket @ Bannatyne exhibition opens August 22
The Witness Blanket, a large scale art installation created by master carver Carey Newman which documents the impact of residential schools, is coming to Bannatyne Campus.
What: Opening of the Witness Blanket exhibition
When: Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 3:00pm
Where: 3rd Floor, Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library
Who: Featured speaker: Residential School survivor Ann Callahan, RN (retired), BA, MA, Wapiskisiw Piyésís Iskwéw (White Birdwoman); Elder Margaret Lavallee; Dr. Brian Postl, dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences; Dr. Catherine Cook, Vice-Dean, Indigenous Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.
The installation, inspired by a woven blanket, is “made out of hundreds of items reclaimed from Residential Schools, churches, government buildings and traditional and cultural structures including Friendship Centres, band offices, treatment centres and universities, from across Canada. The Witness Blanket stands as a national monument to recognise the atrocities of the Indian Residential School era, honour the children, and symbolise ongoing reconciliation.” (Source: witnessblanket.ca)
This exhibition is an opportunity for University of Manitoba students, staff, faculty and community visitors to the Bannatyne Campus to reflect upon the stories of the people affected by residential schools. The exhibition will be open to the public and school groups as well.
“In the spirit of ongoing reconciliation at the University of Manitoba, we welcome the opportunity to host this exhibition, which will give people a chance to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of the residential school system on Indigenous Peoples and the inter-generational trauma caused by residential schools, ” said Dr. Brian Postl, dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.
Dr. Catherine Cook, Vice-Dean, Indigenous Health, worked with Janice Linton, Indigenous Health Liaison Librarian to host the exhibit at the Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library in order to share its impact with the U of M and general communities. “The Witness Blanket has been described as ‘a monument that recognizes the atrocities of the Indian residential school era, honours the children and symbolizes ongoing reconciliation,’” she said.
The Witness Blanket Project, in partnership with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR), created a true to scale reproduction which will be displayed in the Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library. The original toured Canada for the last several years and is currently undergoing conservation at CMHR.
The Witness Blanket @ Bannatyne display dates:
August 22 to October 31, 2019
Hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.
Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library (300 level), 727 McDermot Avenue
For more information on group visits, contact:
Janice Linton, Indigenous Health Liaison Librarian, Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library
For media inquiries, please contact Ilana Simon, Director of Communications & Marketing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, at 204-295-6777 or Ilana.Simon@umanitoba.ca.