Reflections of Ourselves
Reflections of Ourselves is a collaborative art project that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Canadians. Over 36 million people live on Turtle Island within the boundaries of Canada. Indigenous peoples (First Nations and Inuit) are the original inhabitants of this land, whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial. Some of us are recent arrivals while others trace ancestors who have been here for many generations.
I have chosen a tree as a non-political symbol of our human community where differences in human culture are like the variations of individual leaves on a tree. The tree branches are covered in leaves created by Indigenous, settler and immigrant Canadians in honour of their heritage. My own stitched leaves, representing common threads and the mixing of cultures, intermingle with the cultural leaves. I have provided a leaf template for leaf artists to use, but the design, materials, techniques and story are unique to each artist. Each leaf artist’s statement is displayed with the sculpture.
Through this project I hope to generate new interest in traditional and contemporary textile arts, enable cultural exchange and increase respect and understanding. I thank the Orillia Museum of Art and History for hosting the inaugural exhibition over the summer of 2022. I hope you will come to see these wonderful expressions of cultural heritage as the exhibition travels. Watch this short video.
The tree continues to grow! Scroll down to see the list of cultural groups currently represented. If you don’t see your cultural group and would like to create a leaf in honour of your heritage, use this contact form to get in touch with me. Read more about what we are looking for here.
Future Exhibitions: January 11 – March 1, 2025 King Heritage & Cultural Centre, King City, Ontario
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council to create this documentary.
Textile Talk Webinar: recording available! See it here.
Growing a grass-roots collaborative art project: Reflections of Ourselves
Tracey discusses creating “Reflections of Ourselves” and producing a documentary about the project. The documentary showcases the artwork and features interviews with leaf artists.
Past Exhibitions:
Wellington Heritage Museum
September 16 – December 18, 2023
Homer Watson House & Gallery
March 3 – June 25, 2023
Orillia Museum Of Art & History
May 28 – September 3, 2022
Leaf Artists:
Acadian: Jane Bridgeman
Afghani: Nooria Ahmadi
African Nova Scotian: Myla Borden
American: Joni Alexander
Anishnabai (Teme-Augama): Victoria Grant
Argentinian: Patricia Vega
Armenian: Tamara Harutyunyan
Assyrian: Nada Benyamin
Australian: Judith Powell
Austrian: Helen O’Malley
Bangladeshi: Pinki Laboni Adolphina Baidya
Barbadian: Orlena Broomes
Belarusan: Iryna Varabei
Bengali: Ayesha Chatterjee
Blackfoot: William Singer III
Bosnian: Nadira Derakovic
Brazilian: Ana Paula Brasil
Bulgarian: Vania Zahrieva-Alexieva
Chilean (Mapuche): Gabriela Rosende
Chinese: Kwan
Chinese (Hong Kong): Lily Lam
Colombian: Anonymous
Cree: Vanessa Genier
Croatian: Tatjana Hutinec
Czech: Susan Godwin
Danish: Kirsten Johnston
Delaware (Lenape): Christine Tuck
Dene: Crystal Behn
Doukhobor: Kathryn Soloveoff – Robbie
Dutch: Ietje Jackovich
Ecuadorian: Isabel
Egyptian: Christy Abraham
English: Mary Lunney
Estonian: Pia Kallas-Harvey
Filipino: Mona & Clara Lavina
Finnish: Anita Payne De Gaia
Flemish: Kathleen Mcphie
Franco-Ontarienne: Nicole Ménard
French: Kathy Wylie
French Canadian: Carole Thomas
German: Regina Marzlin
Ghanaian: Cecilia Asamoah
Gitxsan: Arlene Ness
Goan: Laea Almeida Iserman & Jenny Iserman
Greek: Kleo Tobias
Gwichin: Cynthia Pavlovich
Guernsey: Laine Canivet
Guyanese: Jennifer Singh
Hawaiian: Catherine Roland
Heiltsuk: Mia Hunt
Hungarian: Ninette Gyorody
Hutterite: Elaine Kleinsasser
Icelandic: Janice Lunan
Indo-Kenyan: Jayshree Khimasia
Indonesian: Bernarda Antony
Innu: Sylvie Bouchard
Inuit (Inuvialuit): Cassandra McLaughlin
Inuit (Nunatsiavut): Erica Jacque
Iranian: Shahrzad Amin
Iraqi: Diklat Georgees
Irish Catholic: Joanne McBay
Irish Protestant: Heather James
Ismaili: Shamina Senaratne
Italian: Lynda Mariani
Jamaican: Lisbeth Haddad
Japanese: Yvonne Bando
Jewish: Karen Chisvin
Kenyan: Stella Rakwach
Korean: Kyunghee Maria Heo
Lakota: Kimi Soo Goodtrack
Latvian: Loree Ovens
Lithuanian: Pamela Chasen
Madeiran: June Horwich
Malaysian: Jeany Chan
Malayalee: Viju Menon
Maliseet: Elizabeth Sappier
Maltese: Joseph Muscat
Mennonite Frisian: Renske Helmuth
Metis (Manitoba): Deborah Malcolm
Mexican: Sonya Elliott
Mi’kmaq: Summer Paul
Mohawk: Narda Julg
New Zealand / Polynesian: Greta F. Hildebrand
Nigerian (Yoruba): Olamide Agboola
Norwegian: Karen Doak
Oji-Cree: Tamara Eaker
Palestinian: Joyce Cybak
Peruvian (Quechuan): Natty Urquizo
Polish: Diane Scott
Portuguese: Caroline Egan
Romanian: Sylvia Ptak
Russian: Kate Madeloso
Scottish: Anne Condie
Secwepemc: Kelsey Jules
Serbian: Nadja Marjanovic
Sinhalese: Chanthi Vijayapala
Slovak: Teresa Gombita
Slovenian: Katherine Gruskovnjak
South Africa: Mical Pearlman
Squamish: Xwalacktun Harry
Swedish: Karin Clifford
Swiss: Joan Hug-Valeriote
Syrian: Samira Alyousef
Tahltan: Carmen Dennis
Telugu: Priyanka Mannava
Thai: Nithikul Nimkulrat
Trinidadian: Marilyn Clulow
Turkish: Dilek Gumus Aytekin
Ugandan: Fatuma Mulungi
Ukranian: Tracey Lawko
Uruguayan: Sylvia Rocchetti
Venezuelan: Gisela Figueroa
Vietnamese: Tuong Van (Vivian) Luu
Welsh: Leslie Whitby
Wet’suwet’en: Charrine Lace
Questions?
The tree continues to grow! If you don’t see your cultural group represented and would like to create a leaf in honour of your heritage, use this contact form to get in touch with me. Read more about what we are looking for here.
We gratefully acknowledge support from: