Abbotsford Senior Art Activism class explores Indigenous incarceration issues
It’s a unique melding of experiences and it’s created several atypical pieces of art.
The Abbotsford Senior Secondary School Art Activism class has taken on a heavy topic for the final project for 2023 – the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the Canadian Criminal Justice System – and they’ve gone directly to the source for inspiration and a helping hand.
The class has collaborated with the University of British Columbia and Corrections Canada to showcase their work to the community, which is on display at The Reach Gallery Museum until June 25.
The student’s paintings are part of a final project that was made in a collaborative effort with the Kwìkwèxwelhp Healing Village and the UBC Art Justice Program.
This art installment consists of dual images on each canvas – one painted by individuals from the healing village through the Art Justice Program, and the other by students in response. The side-by-side creations offer a contrast in artistic vision and tell a story of two different perspectives.
Throughout the school year, students learned about important Indigenous topics to understand the complexity of the issue. Statistics released by the Office of the Correctional Investigator from Dec. 2021 showed that almost 50 per cent of all federally-sentenced women are Indigenous and the combined men and women proportion has now reached 32 per cent and appears to be climbing.