HONOURING OUR GRANDMOTHERS HEALING JOURNEY in residence
October 26 to November 6, 2022
Six activities at three locations
Massy Arts Gallery, Oppenheimer Park, VALU Coop Chinatown Studio
All events are free or by donation
Honouring Our Grandmothers Healing Journey is a multi-year, multi-community, multi-generational movement that brings together communities of the Interior Salish and Coast Salish peoples with neighbouring nations connected to the Fraser and Thompson rivers, watersheds, mountains and salmon. Through arts and ceremony, Honouring Our Grandmothers brings together family members and residents who work to restore relationships between generations and communities.
“We’re acknowledging Grandmothers who traveled to the Downtown Eastside, Grandmas who passed on, and Grandmas who are with us now. We’re honouring their lived experiences, stories and legacies left for us to discover and share. Destroyed connections to grandmothers have torn apart families. Many don’t know the stories of entire generations before." – Nadine Spence
At the heart of the journey are histories told through visual artwork on travelling chests that visit different communities and collect messages: for the creator, ancestors, mother earth, Grandmothers and families. These offerings help people to find peace or celebrate their life’s journey. At the end of the journey, messages will be released in the community.
The vision of the journey was launched at the 2021 Heart of the City Festival. We are honoured to welcome back this important initiative. This fall’s Honouring Our Grandmothers Healing Journey in residence is produced by Further We Rise Indigenous Arts Collective/Sacred Rock in partnership with Vancouver Moving Theatre / Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival, along with community partnerships with Massy Arts Society, VALU CO-OP Community Projects / Love Intersections, Vancouver Aboriginal Community Policing Centre, Vines Art Festival and Carnegie Community Centre / Oppenheimer Park.
HONOURING OUR GRANDMOTHERS HEALING JOURNEY
MASSY ARTS GALLERY, 23 E. Pender
Exhibition, Generations of Women and Water
Thursday October 27 to Sunday November 6Gallery Hours: Tues to Sun, 12pm - 5pm
By donation
Opening Reception, Generations of Women and Water
Wednesday October 26, 6pm - 7:30pm
Free, registration is required, massyarts.com
Talk, Travelling Message Chests
Wednesday November 2, 6pm - 7:30pm
Free, registration is required, massyarts.com
Cultural Protocol Talk, Inherent Responsibility
Thursday November 3, 6pm - 7:30pm
Free, registration is required, massyarts.com
WINDOW DISPLAY, VALU CO-OP Chinatown Studio
Elements Unite
October 26 to November 6
Lim Sai Hor Kow Mock Benevolent Association
525 Carrall
KEEPING THE FIRES BURNING
Saturday October 29, 10am - 4pm
Oppenheimer Park, 400 block Powell Free
10am – 4pm
Artwork, Projects and Healing Journey Information
1pm - 3pm
Opening and Arriving of Community Elements Message Chest
For full descriptions go to Events or Visual Arts pages.
HONOURING OUR GRANDMOTHERS HEALING JOURNEY 2021-2026
Further We Rise Arts Collective is an art, history and language collaboration between four Indigenous generations. Sacred Rock is a supporter of Further We Rise with their projects and programs. The vision of Sacred Rock is to connect Nlaka’pamux arts, cultural heritage, language, health, education, and the natural environment.
Nadine Spence (Nlaka’pamux/ Secwépemc) is the lead visionary artist, producer, curator and director, assisted by Further We Rise Indigenous Arts Collective, and supported by Sacred Rock. The Heart of the City Festival thanks Downtown Eastside resident and Community Engagement Mentor Stephen Lytton for bringing this journey to the Festival’s attention.
Further We Rise/Sacred Rock are inviting Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, grassroots organizations, businesses and communities to participate and support the future journey of the community travelling message chest over the upcoming years.
When the Honouring Our Grandmothers Healing Journey completes, closing ceremonies will take place in the Downtown Eastside and then voyage up the river watersheds back to the mountains where the spirits and memories will be respectfully laid to rest. This will provide a chance for us to find some measure of closure where there has been none. And this will help communities, nations and Indigenous peoples to create new memories for the living families who participated, creating living memorials of truth, respect and unity.
“The Community Elements travelling message chest includes artwork reflective of the four elements of water, air, earth and fire that connect us all in four directions. The artwork is created by artists of different nationalities with historical relationships with Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island." – Nadine Spence