{"id":1836,"date":"2022-09-29T16:36:41","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T20:36:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/news\/?p=1836"},"modified":"2023-10-01T23:30:53","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T03:30:53","slug":"creating-positive-change-in-markham-through-artistic-expression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/news\/2022\/09\/29\/creating-positive-change-in-markham-through-artistic-expression\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating positive change through artistic expression"},"content":{"rendered":"
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With excitement continuing to build for York University\u2019s new Markham Campus, more than 50 people recently gathered to mark the unveiling of a community art exhibit called \u201cRight The Future.\u201d The carefully curated exhibit has transformed the generic wooden hoarding in front the busy construction site into a public gallery depicting stories representing York\u2019s commitment to driving positive change in its communities, and to truth and reconciliation \u2013 while first and foremost honouring the site's Indigenous heritage<\/a> which is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"From time immemorial art was woven through every aspect of traditional Indigenous life, yet in many Indigenous languages, there is no single word for art. Rather concepts of art contained in ancestral languages describe process and movement,\" said Susan Dion, York\u2019s inaugural associate vice-president of Indigenous initiatives, at the exhibit's opening ceremony in the nearby Markham Pan Am Centre on Sept. 28. \"Today the definition of Indigenous art continues to expand and evolve, but one thing that is certain, Indigenous peoples are the makers of Indigenous art. It is through the practices of self-representation that we tell of our survival, our presence, and our resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Markham continues to grow, it retains a rich history and heritage that informs its future. Acknowledging that with its new campus, York will be a part of this tapestry, artists were asked to consider what it means to right the future at the Markham Campus. They were encouraged to contemplate the dimensions of time \u2013 past, present and future \u2013 sustainability, how different academic disciplines merge and reconciliation with Indigenous communities. York issued a call for artistic expression last spring, receiving 30 submissions. Eight artworks were selected to be part of the final exhibition. Featured artists<\/a> received an honorarium per selected image and have been credited on-site as well as in all exhibit materials. The artwork will be displayed on the construction hoarding along Enterprise Blvd. until it is no longer required on site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think you will agree that we achieved our goal of making the construction hoarding for our new Markham Campus visually appealing as people drive and walk by,\u201d said Rhonda Lenton, York University\u2019s president and vice-chancellor, at the unveiling ceremony. \u201cBut the art goes far beyond beautification \u2013 what you see here tells a series of stories that come from the imaginations and lived experiences of talented artists, all of whom are members of the York community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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