CKUA’s Lisa Wilton spoke with artist Carey Newman (Kwakwak’awakw, Sto:lo) Wednesday March 18th at 5:45PM MT on Traffic jams.
The Witness Blanket is a national monument to the painful history of Canada’s Residential School era. It features 800 artifacts from 70 sites across Canada, including bricks, broken dishware, photos, hockey skates and found figurines, just to name a few of the 800 examples. It’s a monument to recognize the atrocities of the Residential School era, honour the children, and symbolize ongoing reconciliation.
The Witness Blanket is currently undergoing conservation at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg, after touring Canada extensively over the past few years. A touring replica of the 40-foot-long cedar-framed installation is on display at Calgary’s Mount Royal University.
Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the MRU exhibit is closed to the public. However, you can still view the installation and learn more about it by going online. An interactive version of the monument is available on the Witness Blanket website, or check out the immersive Witness Blanket app in the iTunes app store.
