Witness Blanket
Carey Newman
To create his monumental Witness Blanket, Carey Newman and team travelled 200,000 kilometres across Canada, collecting over 880 objects, documents and photographs reclaimed from residential schools, churches, government buildings and traditional and cultural structures. Since its tour was first launched in Victoria in 2014, the Witness Blanket has travelled to villages, townships and cities across the country. Since 2019 — when joint stewardship was initiated through traditional ceremony at Kumugwe, the K’ómoks First Nation Bighouse on Vancouver Island — the Witness Blanket has been in the collection of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg, where soon it will be on permanent view.
Event/Exhibition meta autogenerated block.
When
September 30, 2022 – October 16, 2022
Where
Remai Modern
Presented by
Saskatoon Community Foundation
For two weeks in October, Remai Modern will present a multimedia installation of Newman’s remarkable Witness Blanket project, allowing visitors to explore the details of this intricate work and to learn the stories of residential school Survivors.
September 30 is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. Admission to the museum for the day is by donation. If you need support, the Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is open 24/7 and can be reached at 1-866-925-4419.
Witness Blanket is presented in partnership with the Saskatoon Community Foundation.
Remai Modern would like to thank Elders Lorna and Eugene Arcand and the Wîcihitowin Indigenous Engagement Conference for their support in bringing this work to Saskatoon.
Artist
Carey Newman, whose traditional name is Hayalthkin’geme, is a multi-disciplinary Indigenous artist, master carver, filmmaker, author and public speaker. Through his father he is Kwakwak’awakw from the Kukwekum, Giiksam, and WaWalaby’ie clans of northern Vancouver Island, and Coast Salish from Cheam of the Sto:lo Nation along the upper Fraser Valley. Through his mother his ancestors are Settlers of English, Irish, and Scottish heritage.
Newman’s art practice highlights Indigenous, social and environmental issues and examines the impacts of colonialism and capitalism. His art harnesses the power of material truth to unearth memory and trigger emotions that drive positive change. He is also interested in engaging with community and incorporating innovative methods derived from traditional teachings and Indigenous worldviews into his process.