A Strathroy business is hosting a Collaborative Indigenous Art Installation. KYIS Embroidery is hosting The Canadian Library, which is a series of micro art installations honouring the lives and stories of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and children. Each installation consists of shelves filled with books, which are wrapped in pieces of vibrant fabric that are designed by Indigenous creators. Printed on each book is the name of a missing or murdered Indigenous woman, girl or child. KYIS Embroidery’s installation can be found in its store front window at 19 Front Street West Strathroy. Spearheaded by Markham-area activist, Shanta Sundarason, and guided by a both Indigenous and nonIndigenous creators and non-profits, the purpose is to keep the women, girls and children in the public consciousness, to honour and recognize each individuals life, and remind the public that reconciliation requires knowing and acknowledging painful truths.
Owner Sheila Joris describes it as “a memorial, a way to honour the memory of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and children and a way to keep awareness out there, so we are reminded of what happened to them. Their stories deserve to be heard. We were inspired to participate in the project after coming across an IKEA announcement on social media.”
Installations can be found in community centres, small businesses, even IKEA stores. Sundarason explains that the goal of the project is to have 6000 books created and eventually collected. The collected books will then be housed and displayed at a national museum or library. Sundarason invites anyone to participate in the project by reaching out to info@thecanadianlibrary.ca.
To learn more visit http://shantasundarason.ca/the-canadian-library.
written by: C. Soares