LibGuides: Truth and Reconciliation Guide: Virtual Exhibitions

Internal Virtual Exhibits

Last spring the Library was approached by the Nipissing University Centre for Literacy to participate in a community StoryWalk project.

A StoryWalk combines literacy and physical activity. The pages of a book (usually a children's picture book) are posted at a distance from each other so that you need to move in order to read the story. Many communities have stories posted along outdoor trails, but they can also be indoors.

The StoryWalk project involving the library has a couple of components. One is a community StoryWalk, with planning underway to install a children's book in outdoor frames along one of the North Bay Mattawa Conservation Authority trails. There have already been a number of installations in area communities such as Powassan, Sundridge, South River and at the North Bay Public Library .

One of the first StoryWalks developed by the Learning Library is focused on the book, Phyllis's Orange Shirt by Phyllis Webstad. This is a juvenile fiction book providing a first hand account of Phyllis's experience in Residential School. "When Phyllis Webstad (nee Jack) turned six, she went to the residential school for the first time. On her first day at school, she wore a shiny orange shirt that her Granny had bought for her, but when she got to the school, it was taken away from her and never returned. This is the true story of Phyllis and her orange shirt. It is also the story of Orange Shirt Day (an important day of remembrance for First Nations and non First Nations Canadians)."--Publisher's website.

We hope everyone will have the opportunity to drop by in person and take a StoryWalk with us.

Reference

Webstad, P., & Nicol, B. (2019). Phyllis’s orange shirt. Medicine Wheel Education.

External Virtual Exhibitions

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Exhibit
Records and materials shared through stories at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) help foster reconciliation and healing and ensure that the history and legacy of the residential school system are never forgotten.

These exhibits contain a wide array of documents and materials that show the construction and operations of the residential schools and the policies that governed them, their legacy and impact on generations of Indigenous Peoples and communities, and some of the steps taken on the path towards healing and reconciliation.

The Survivors Flag
Retrieved from the NTRC website.

The Survivors’ Flag is an expression of remembrance, meant to honour residential school Survivors and all the lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada.

Project of Heart
Virtual Tour
Project of Heart National Commemoration Exhibits

“Project of Heart- Commemorating the Children for Future Generations” was selected as a National Commemoration Project by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada in 2012-13. During this period of time over 600 schools, along with numerous church groups, community organizations, corrections agencies and government departments participated in the Project of Heart, contributing tiles for inclusion in the regional commemoration exhibits. This process resulted in over 3800 teachers, 55,000 students and an estimated 185,000 Canadian learners participating in Project of Heart and the National Commemoration Project. The tiles from each of these groups were collected and curated in to memorial and commemoration exhibits honoring former students of Indian Residential Schools in every province and territory in Canada.

Witness: Pieces of History
The blanket is a universal symbol of protection.
For many of us, it identifies who we are and where we’re from – we wear them in ceremony and give them as gifts.
Blankets protect our young and comfort our elders.

Inspired by a woven blanket, we have created a large scale art installation, made out of hundreds of items reclaimed from Residential Schools, churches, government buildings and traditional and cultural structures including Friendship Centres, band offices, treatment centres and universities, from across Canada. The Witness Blanket stands as a national monument to recognise the atrocities of the Indian Residential School era, honour the children, and symbolise ongoing reconciliation.

Where Are The Children
Between 1831 and 1996, residential schools operated in Canada through arrangements between the Government of Canada and the church. One common objective defined this period — the assimilation of Aboriginal children.

This site is a counterpart to Where are the Children? Healing the impacts of the Residential Schools, a touring exhibition that explores the history and impacts of Canada’s Residential School System through Survivor stories, archival photographs, and documents, curated by Iroquois artist Jeff Thomas.

Disclaimer: This web site contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some visitors. 24 Hour National Survivors Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419.

Truth and Reconciliation Guide

Contact Us

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Land Acknowledgement

Internal Virtual Exhibits

External Virtual Exhibitions