Tracey-Mae Chambers is a Métis artist and a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario. Her family is from, and some still reside, in the traditional Métis community in Sault Ste. Marie and Penetanguishene, Ontario. She is traveling across Canada and the United States creating site specific art installations at residential school historical sites, cultural centres, museums, art galleries and other public spaces. Her work can be viewed at www.traceymae.com.
"The goal of #hopeandhealingcanada is to broach the subject of decolonization. The installations are created with large premade crochet and knit pieces made with red yarn. These are created both inside and outside, and weather the elements quite successfully. The installations can be in place for as long as the venue would like. Once dismantled the work itself will be returned to me and it will be reworked and repurposed at another site somewhere in the country. The stories from each participating venue will culminate into a book and traveling exhibition.
"Many (but not all) of these public spaces serve to present a colonial viewpoint and primarily speak about the settlers who arrived and lived here, but not the Indigenous people that were displaced along the way. The decolonization of such places is a ponderous task and must be shouldered collectively. The discussion of reconciliation and decolonization is hard to start and harder still to maintain. Therefore, I am hoping to use my work to help bridge the gap between settlers and Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit people by creating art that is approachable and non-confrontational so we can start. As I am part Métis and European, I am conscious of the privilege my 'whiteness' affords me and bridging this gap is in fact a form of self-education and self-healing." - Tracey-Mae Chambers