Calgary’s Southcentre Mall is hosting a month-long Indigenous art show to commemorate Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which Canada recently declared as a federal statutory holiday.
The Colouring It Forward Reconciliation Society has teamed up with the Southcentre Mall for the exhibit, which features 18 Indigenous artists showcasing different topics within their artwork.
Diana Frost is the founder of Colouring It Forward Inc., a social enterprise, and the Colouring It Forward Reconciliation Society, a non-profit. She says that art exhibits are sometimes easier to highlight issues than reading about them from books.
“We need more art exhibits to share with people. I think art does portray someone’s reality and someone’s vision of a topic and I think… art is a way to learn about an issue in a less threatening way than sometimes than a speech or reading a book…It’s a bit easier to look at and take in at your own pace.”
Alexandra Velosa is the marketing manager for Southcentre Mall and is excited to be a part of this event, which began Sept. 1 and runs to the 30th.
The exhibit can be found by the Sport Check entrance on the second floor of the mall.
Information about the exhibit can be found on the mall’s website, www.southcentremall.com or on the Colouring it Forward website at https://colouringitforward.com