September 30th has been designated as the Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
More than anything, people involved in the work and events around Truth and Reconciliation are really looking for one thing - a path forward.
It isn't about dwelling on the past. We can't live there in the past, after all.
But what is A Path Forward? A Path Forward is a permanent and evolving exhibit in Picton, Ontario. This exhibit is co-curated by the Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na, the Downie Wenjack Fund and The County Museums that explores Truth & Reconciliation efforts in Prince Edward County.
The artwork of Theresa Brant was displayed in A Path Forward’s Reflection Room in 2023. The Picton Gazette's article describes the exhibit and what a visitor might take away from the experience.
One line in particular from the Gazette's Karen Valihora caught my attention:
Colour is everywhere, in giant wall murals, in paintings on pillars, on pathways, and all around...
Theresa Brant is an artist who truly understands the power of colour. Many of her pieces have some figure in captivating colours shining out from dark backgrounds or nighttime shadows. It can be wonderfully breathtaking.
Colour is very important to me and my work. I truly believe that even the mere presence colour can be transformative, turning things to joy and to healing. In other words, colour and art provide a way to move forward.
The role of art is often to provide that way forward, point out a way to get ourselves unstuck when things from the past hold us tight. Art shows us a direction through the dark and the colourless. Art shows us that there can be a light ahead, a light made up of colours we may have forgotten or we were afraid we would never see again.
I have been thinking about how to represent Truth and Reconciliation in my own work. What would, in a sense, visually shine a light on a path forward?
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