The Resilience Project

Resilience is a National Billboard Exhibition Project taking place from coast to coast in Canada this summer. This extraordinary exhibit promotes the work of 50 Indigenous women artists and the voice they give, collectively and individually, to First Nation history, identity and art. 

In the words of Curator, Lee-Ann Martin , "The Resilience billboard exhibition is a response to Call to Action #79 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report: the integration of 'Indigenous history, heritage values, and memory practices into Canada’s national heritage and history.' The call supports collaborations among Aboriginal peoples and the arts community to develop a reconciliation framework for Canadian heritage and commemoration. This project is Mentoring Artists for Women's Art - MAWA’s answer to that call: a creative act of reconciliation, and a public celebration and commemoration of the work of Indigenous women artists, who are still vastly under-represented, not only in positions of power in commerce and politics, but within the art world as well.” 

The work of these artists is diverse, moving and powerful.  A sampling includes these pieces:

This Painting Is A Mirror, Christi Belcourt

I awoke to find my spirit had returned, Rosalie Favell

Nunavat - Our Land, Kenojuak Ashevak

Dominon, Mary Anne Barkhouse

Battle for the Woodlands, Bonnie Devine

Moonlight Sonata, Joane Cardinal-Schubert

View the work of all of the artists, read the Lee-Ann Martin's powerful essay and learn more at the Resilience web site.