Artist statement

I wanted to do an art project that invited non-Indigenous people living on the traditional territory of the Algonquin People to engage with the reconciliation process of ‘learn, understand, act’. With input from Robin and Rocky, I put together a reading list that touched on subjects like the history of the Algonquin People and the effects of colonization on the Algonquin community, information about ‘Land Back’ related to Algonquin and other Indigenous communities, Canada’s residential schools, the valuable work of MMIWG movement, and the progress (and lack of progress) of the ‘94 Calls to Action’.

The ‘learn’ part of the art project was to invite non-Indigenous folks to go through the reading list. The ‘understand’ part was for project participants to digest, reflect and explore more deeply, then have a conversation with me about what they had learned, what really stood out as new information, what they felt about this history and these issues, how this knowledge affected them and changed their perspectives. I recorded these conversations to provide the layered text for my diptych paintings.

The ‘act’ part of the art project was to invite each participant to commit to an action (or actions) related to the learning they had undertaken and the new understanding they had, and to let me know what their commitment(s) were. I compiled a list of suggested actions which included great suggestions from members of the Algonquin community. Project participants could also think of their own actions if they preferred. These actions are included as text in some of my paintings.

My paintings rely on abstracted text, but colours, forms and composition reference the land and nature in the Bancroft area: snow, winter shadows, dried grasses, birch bark and the inner bark of the birch, hills, white pine needles, sunset … and more.

About the artist

Henry [she/her] is a visual artist and educator, and a proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Henry emigrated to Canada from South Africa with her family when she was as a child. Later she studied and worked in the UK for many years.

Henry returned to Canada and graduated from the University of Waterloo MFA (Studio Art) program, then began a long journey of self-discovery and healing which eventually brought her full circle back to her art practice. She has worked full-time as an artist for the last five years.

Henry was delighted to call Bancroft, Ontario ‘home’ for many years.