Tour the exhibition Colour Works with the support of an arts professional. Colour Works highlights acts of reconciliation across Canada around the legacy of residential and day schools, which Indigenous children were forced to attend between the 1870s and 1990s. Orange T-Shirts, inspired by the experience of Survivor Phyllis Webstad, whose own orange shirt was taken on her first day of residential school, have become national symbols of remembrance and honour for the children, for Survivors, and Intergenerational Survivors. Every September 30th on Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Canadians wear orange t-shirts with unique designs by contemporary Indigenous artists, some of which are featured in this exhibition. Large-format prints of paintings made by children at the Alberni Indian Residential School also are part of the installation. The paintings tell the stories of a small group of Survivors who have worked for over a decade to return the rare childhood artworks to their creators and their families with intentions of healing families and educating public audiences.

The Colour Works exhibition, curated by indigenous artist Carey Newm and Dr. Andrea Walsh is part of Otterbein & the Arts: Opening Doors to the World (ODW) programming, which turns to Canada as the Fall 2022 Gateway country and indigenous contemporary art as a locii of healing and reconciliation. ODW seeks to move viewers beyond the single narrative toward more nuanced understandings about people, places, and cultures.