MMIWG2S+ Art Exhibit

IWWT in collaboration with the City of Fredericton and Women and Gender Equality Canada, we held the unveiling of the commemorative art exhibit for MMIWG2S+. 

The statue, the painting and the film will be available to all at the Fredericton Convention Center. Please feel free to visit the location and spend a moment in silence to absorb the pieces. 

We would like to thank the artists who created this powerful exhibit:
Samaqari Cochaq (Natalie Sappier)
Emma Hassencahl-Perley
Carr Sappier
Shane Perley-Dutcher
Justin Sappier

We would also like to thank Lisa Perley-Dutcher for organizing and allowing space for the artists to come together. 

The work considers life and death, grief and healing, and togetherness amongst feelings of isolation. 

After carefully consulting three Indigenous families who have lost loved ones, the exhibit depicts Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirited+ Peoples in vulnerable and violent circumstances where predators threaten their lives and safety.

Artists were asked not to shy away from “the truth” and “the gore” when depicting the tragedies Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited+ Peoples undergo as those at higher risks of gender-based violence, including physical, domestic, emotional, and sexual violence. 

Keskahahticik (Lost Ones) communicates the resounding pain that family and community members feel when a loved one is killed or goes missing. 

One mother noted that, “Every day feels like day one”, when one’s child is taken from them through violence. 

Indigenous Women of the Wabanaki Territories (IWWT) dedicates this work to the families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirited+ peoples of Wabanaki Homeland.