Several painted art pieces have been installed at the Brodie and Waverley Resource Libraries. Each piece commemorates and honours the survivors of St. Joseph's Residential School.
About the artists:
Quill Christie-Peters is an Anishinaabe arts programmer and self-taught visual artist currently residing in Northwestern Ontario. Her mural, “despite it all, we are all they can never have” depicts the beauty, wholeness and complexity of who we are as Anishinaabeg, despite the violence we have endured through residential schools. Find this mural at the Waverley Library.
Rufus Moonias Quisses is an emerging Oji-Cree artist from Neskantaga First Nation. His mural entitled, “Resilience”, “represents the resiliency of survivors from residential schools, group homes, foster homes, hospitals, and/or jails. Many Indigenous people lost a part of their identity at these places. This painting spreads awareness for our surviving children who became elders.” Find this mural at the Brodie Library.
Brian Michon is Anishinaabe originally from Fort William First Nation, and raised in Geraldton, Ontario. His mural entitled, “A Foundation of Hope” is set at Anemki Wajiw (also known as Thunder Mountain or Mount McKay) in Fort William First Nation, and includes residential school children and survivors and a brightly painted young fancy shawl dancer - she represents hope and resilience of our people. We can learn from the past and we can carry on as a people, building upon what we had gone through and not letting that hold us back. Find this mural on the Brodie Resource Library. Michon also painted three portraits of St. Joseph’s Residential School survivors — Morris Shapwaykeesic, Dolores Wawia and Doloris Skinner-Wanakamik. These can also be found at the Brodie Resource Library.
