Rooted Connections Art Exhibit at Montrose

This week, during the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, we are honoured to host the Rooted Connections Art Exhibit at our school. Classes have signed up throughout the week to take part in this meaningful learning opportunity.

The exhibition tells a story. Storytelling in Indigenous communities is a way to pass down teachings, traditions, and language from generation to generation. In Rooted Connections, students will see traditions such as hunting, tanning hide, beadwork, soapstone carving, drumming, and regalia, all of which share the beauty and resilience of Indigenous heritage.

We are especially proud to share that our own Aunty Loriann is one of the featured artists in this exhibit. Through her storyboard displays, Loriann highlights the importance of hunting and the fur trade in the Indigenous community, while also reminding us that animals are considered sacred gifts given for food, clothing, and survival.

Other artists have contributed carvings, beadwork, regalia, and cultural clothing, each piece telling part of a larger story of connection, tradition, and identity. The tree, its roots, and the sacred circle, central images of the exhibition, remind us of continual growth, connection, unity, and the cycle of life.

Rooted Connections has been co-curated by Loriann Gignac and Jamie-Lee Cormier for the Grande Prairie Public School District.

We are grateful to bring this experience into our school, especially during this week of reflection and learning.

Learn More here