Copyright & Credits - Art Canada

Jason Sikoak, Sacrilege, 2015, pen and ink, 124.5 x 132.1 cm.

Acknowledgements

From the Art Canada Institute

The Art Canada Institute gratefully acknowledges the generosity of Power Corporation of Canada, Season Sponsor, 2026–2027 Publications. 

A heartfelt thank you to the sponsors of this publication:

Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada History Fund), Lead Sponsor

The Jack Weinbaum Family Foundation, Gold Sponsor

Canada Life, Silver Sponsor

Jason Donville, Silver Sponsor

Mike and Kim Downs, Bronze Sponsor

Ontario Arts Council, Bronze Sponsor

We thank the Founding Sponsor of the Art Canada Institute: BMO Financial Group. 

Finally, we acknowledge the generosity of all those who support the Art Canada Institute and make our work possible. 

From the Author

This book, Art, Truth & Reconciliation: Indigenous Testimony in the Aftermath of Residential Schools, is published as part of the Art Canada Institute’s inaugural Art and Ideas series. I am grateful to the Art Canada Institute for its leadership and for the vision behind this series, and for its commitment to art writing that is rigorous, accessible, and responsive to the ideas that shape artistic practice and public life. My thanks to Sara Angel, Emma Doubt, Jessa Laframboise, Victoria Nolte, and Melissa Rombout for their guidance, care, and sustained support in bringing this book to publication.

First and foremost, I acknowledge the Plains Cree concepts that have guided the framing of this book and the ethical responsibilities that come with writing in relation to them. I am especially grateful to Floyd Favel and Eric Tootoosis for their counsel and generosity. Their guidance helped me think more carefully about language, relational accountability, and the responsibilities of interpretation—about what it means not only to see, but to see with responsibility.

I am also deeply grateful to Michael Rattray, whose editorial work strengthened the manuscript throughout. His careful attention to structure, clarity, and tone helped the text find its most precise form while remaining attentive to the ethical and interpretive responsibilities the subject demands.

I thank the many individuals across Canada, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, whose knowledge, time, and practical assistance supported the research and writing of this book. With sincere thanks to Nancy Campbell (independent curator of Inuit art); Susan Blight (OCAD University); Léuli Eshrāghi (Montreal Museum of Fine Arts); Shannon Parker (Art Gallery of Nova Scotia); Kiriko Watanabe (Audain Art Museum); Emma Hassencahl-Perley (Beaverbrook Art Gallery); Allan J. Ryan (retired, New Sun Chair in Aboriginal Art and Culture, Carleton University); Carmen Robertson (Carleton University); Norman Vorano (Queen’s University); Jocelyn Piirainen and Christine Lalonde (National Gallery of Canada); Chris Batten (The Rooms); Leah Garven (Allen Sapp Gallery); Alyssia Maiorano and Anna Hudson (York University); Karen Duffek (UBC Museum of Anthropology); Crystal Mowry, Felicia Gay, and John Hampton (Mackenzie Art Gallery); Toby Lawrence (Art Gallery of Victoria); Julie Bronson (McMaster University Art Gallery); Kaitlin McCormick (Canadian Museum of History); Jennifer Kramer (UBC Museum of Anthropology); Guislaine Lemay (McCord Museum); Andrea Walsh (University of Victoria); Alicia Boutilier (Agnes Etherington Art Gallery); Catherine Crowston (Alberta Gallery of Art); Vivian Ayoungman, Chief Samuel Crowfoot, and Blackfoot Crossing Heritage Park; and many others who contributed in ways both visible and unseen.

I extend my sincere appreciation to those who spoke on behalf of artists and families, and to those who carry the responsibility of stewardship: Pam Buffalo (family of Gerald Tail Feathers); Cory Dingle (Estate of Norval Morrisseau); David Neel (family of Ellen Neel); Helen McPhadon (Stardale Women’s Group); Anong Beam (family of Carl Beam); Jill and Jackie Janvier (family of Alex Janvier); David Hannan (Dorset Fine Arts); Katherine Ruben (family of David Ruben); and April Martin (family of Daisy Laing). Their willingness to share knowledge, offer permissions, and support the careful presentation of these works has been essential to this project.

Finally, I acknowledge the quiet, enduring support of my family that made this work possible, offered with patience, understanding, and care over time.

Any errors or omissions are my own.

Image Sources

Every effort has been made to secure permissions for all copyrighted material. The Art Canada Institute will gladly correct any errors or omissions. 

The Art Canada Institute thanks the following for their assistance: Agnes Etherington Art Centre (Gabriel Moore Forell Bevilacqua); Alberta Foundation for the Arts (Kristin Stoez); Allen Sapp Gallery (Leah Garven); Archive of the Jesuits in Canada (Henria); Art Gallery of Ontario (Alexandra Cousins); Audain Art Museum (Cassidy Luteijn and Michaela Morrissey); BC Archives, Royal BC Museum and Archives (Ross Gamble); Buxton Contemporary, University of Melbourne (Christine Elias); Canada Council Art Bank (Saada El-Ahkrass); Canada House Gallery; Canada Post; Canadian Museum for Human Rights (Jenna Baraschuk-Modha); Canadian Museum of History; Canadian Press (Andrea Gordon); Carleton University Art Gallery (Patrick Lacasse); Catorina Jeffries Gallery (Wakana Shimamura and Steven Cottingham); City of Vancouver Archives (Chak Yung); COVA-DAAV (Isabella Adrian); Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) Indigenous Art Centre (Eric Burant); Dorset Fine Arts (David Hannan); The Eastern Door; Estate of Ellen Neel; Estate of George Mully (Georgina Born); Estate of Norval Morrisseau (Cory Dingle); Feheley Fine Arts (Pat Feheley); General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada (Laurel Parson); Glenbow Library and Archives; Glenbow Museum (Nadia Singleton); Janvier Gallery (Jill Janvier); Kipling Gallery (Laura Ciampa); Library and Archives Canada; Macaulay + Co. (Barbara Pizzinini); MacKenzie Art Gallery (Marie Olinik); Manitoba Museum (Nancy Anderson); McCord Stewart Museum (Anne-Frédérique Beaulieu); McMichael Canadian Art Collection (Hanna Broker); Metropolitan Museum of Art; Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery, University of British Columbia (Teresa Sudeyko); Moving Images (Karen Wong); Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Québec City (Julie Bouffard); Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia (Kate Ferrante); National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (Kimberly Hayden); National Gallery of Canada (Emily Putman); Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage; Nova Scotia Archives; Open Space Arts Society (Amena Sharmin); Osoyoos Museum (Kara Burton); The Rooms (Kate Wolforth); School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba; SK Arts Permanent Collection (Robin Canham); United Church of Canada Archives; University of Saskatchewan Art Collection; University of Victoria; Vancouver Art Gallery (Natalie Camacho); Vancouver Public Library; Vernon Public Art Gallery; Winnipeg Art Gallery (Nicole Fletcher); Judy Anderson; Sonny Assu; Mark Atleo; Michael Barber; Byron Beardy (Representative for Jackson Beardy); Henry Grant Beaudry (Representative for Henry Poundmaker Beaudry); Christi Belcourt; Rebecca Belmore; Amber Bracken; Rain Cabana-Boucher; Mary Caesar; Ailah Carpenter; Quill Christie-Peters; Dana Claxton; Jeffrey Cook; Amy Crowchild; Ruth Cuthand; Faye Delorme (Representative for Allen Sapp); Geraldine Dick (Representative of Beau Dick); Freda Diesing; Hailley Fayle; Michelle Gazely; Oakley Gray; James Hart; Emma Hassencahl-Perley; Faye HeavyShield; Brent Henry; Robert Houle; Shawn Hunt; Lisa Jackson; Ursula Johnson; Jack Kimble; Gina (Daisy) Laing; Duane Linklater; George Littlechild; Jim Logan; Luke Martson; Kevin McKenzie; Meryl McMaster; Kent Monkman; Caroline Monnet; Tim Moore; Peter Morin; Saige “Nalakwsis” Mukash; Nadia Myre; Carey Newman; Davidee Ningeok, Sr.; Shelley Niro; Daphne Odjig; Luke Parnell; Dionne Paul; Amelia Picard; Edward Poitras; Jane Ash Poitras; Barry Pottle; William Richie; Abraham Anghik Ruben; Teharihulen Michel Savard; Jason Sikoak; Michelle Sound; Doreen Speck (Representative of Chief Henry Speck); Greg Staats; Adrian Stimson; Alan Syliboy; Pam Buffalo Tail Feathers (Representative of Gerald Tailfeathers); Phyllis Tate; Jeff Thomas; Art Thompson; Jesse Tungilik; Andrea Walsh; Jim Wastasecoot; Chris Wattie; Tania Willard; Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun.

ACI recognizes the private collectors who have given permission for their works to be published in this edition.

Credits for Cover Images

yellow school house in a green field with children in the yard

orange figures walking at night in across a valley

Credits for Banner Images

An iron bedstead in a room at a residential school

Child's drawing on paper shows a tipi set against rolling foothills, smoke rising gently as figures move across open ground.

A school desk and chair sit in a gallery. A bar of soap is on the desk.

Two side-by-side portraits: on the left, a person in traditional Indigenous attire holding a feather fan; on the right, a person in a black dress shown from behind against a neutral background.

An Inuit man is torn between a Raven spirit and a Catholic missionary.

Credits for Artworks

An artwork depicting 415 hanks of braided hair.

A composite image of a painted portrait and a colour photograph of a man standing in front of a monument.

stone carving of a person gliding above an airplane and igloo

A lithograph featuring a young woman and hundreds of minute icons, from her mother’s qulliq (oil lamp) and a harpoon to John Lennon’s spectacles and a lone Royal Canadian Mounted Police badge.

sled in the winter being pulled by horses

Split painting, one half with an indigenous woman in traditional cloths facing front. The right she is facing with her back the the viewer wearing a black jacket.

A woman clad in t-shirt and jeans kneels. Her mouth is taped with a piece of duct tape.

Small red identification discs on a ring.

A floral motif worked in thread and beads on black cloth.

A painting of a beach, done in sinuous bands of blue and light green.

Layered imagery of women and girls in regimented poses.

Cartoon portrayal of an Indigenous man with a speech bubble.

A decorated wooden box with faces carved on the sides.

A black and white, close-up image of the face of a young girl.

A dimly-lit scene of a young girl at a keyhole.

Several chairs stand in a gloomy tableau.

painting of a horse walking into the scene looking at two tents and truck

colourful painting of a figure facing the the right

Back of a stretched canvas featuring red writing.

Artwork by Jim Thomas. Four mounted images in a row.

Black and white photo of a man in buffalo regalia dancing in a desert.

A pen and ink drawing of an Inuu man in a parka burdened by crosses.

A figure in red regalia dances against a black background.

illustration of adult and child beside a desk

A piece of paper bearing a grid of the phrase "Do’-gah"

A black and white photograph overlayed with brightly-coloured speech bubbles.

A painting of three figurs on a blue background in the woods.

Artwork by Judy Anderson constructed of seed beads, porcupine quills and deer hide.

An image of a ceremonial textile that records lineage and history and will be passed on to future generations

illustration of jesus being crucified with people in robes bowing down and guards nearby

A image of a priest posed in front of a school with several children.

A painting depicting a school and the abuse inflicted by a nun.

A carved pole in unpainted wood stands in a gallery.

Black and orange graphic of two figures dancing infront of a winged insect with the text "Every child matters"

photo composition of students at the residential school

a worn studio chair once housed in a former residential school

painting of two figures facing each other

Two stained glass windows in a dark gallery.

A stained glass window depicting a woman and nature motifs

Detail of a stained glass window featuring the date "2008."

A grandmother figure, rendered in a black-and-white photograph, sitting at a kitchen table, surrounded by painted luminous colour.

A painting of a dark-haired girl getting a hair cut. A white hand holding scissors enters from the left of the frame.

A circular carving depicting a stylized hawk.

Three figures—a mother and her two daughters—in elaborate, colourful regalia

A girl wearing a school uniform holds a lie-sized photograph of a school uniform.

A brightly-coloured painting of a village with mountains in the background.

A boy wearing a school uniform holds a lie-sized photograph of a school uniform.

Collage featuring a black and white photograph of a group of Indigenous people.

Artwork by Nadia Myre, entitiled Indian Act. Glass beads, copy of one of the 54 pages of the Canadian Federal Government’s Indian Act, masking tape, thread, felt.

A shadow-box of a document, shotgun, ribbons and other elements against green baize.

colourful painting of indian jesus looking to the left

A gloomy living room. The tv is on in front of a recliner.

Four framed images of a young man with long hair being subsumed by blue crystals.

Five tipi poles propped on a wooden box in a gallery.

photograph of wooden totem pool of an eagle with wings spread

Children playing hockey on a small icy lake at duck

stone carving of a woman holding her two children

Yellow beads piled on a piece of leather.

A white sheet is draped on a table and wall. Yellow beads are arranged on the sheet.

ledger drawing depicting a person with spear through their head, and another figure with a horse

Wooden mask, pale wood with red painted markings.

stone carving a people in a canoe going over large waves

A plexiglass box with engraved sides in a gallery.

Painting of a dark-haired girl in a red-collared green dress, identified by her school number.

A photograph of a woman in a white t-shirt dancing is mounted on a board pierced by small lightbulbs.

A housefront structure painted in acrylic on birch plywood, pine, and presswood, fifty-five contributors transformed it into a neon-painted butterfly where each panel embodies a personal interpretation of reconciliation.

An artwork on canvas by Gerald McMaster. A grid of images in on red, yellow, blue and green backgrounds.

A woman wearing a decorated red cape and a red facemask.

Grid of individual sheets of paper depicting the silhouette of a woman.

A stylized flag featuring a red cruciform shape.

wood carving of a woman with her eyes closed and mouth open

A lone child amid tilted power poles, derelict vehicles, and candy-coloured houses

A red cedar barck mask with green, black and red pigment.

Work on paper featuring a yellow cruciform shape.

Grid of abstract works depicting the Last Supper.

Dramatic portrait of a young woman with a background of of a red, white, black and gold roundel.

Painting of a gray building with multi-coloured spirits bursting from it.

people gathered in a field putting up the polls for a sundance

Painting of a procession of five holy women. The leader wears a red robe and cowl.

An artwork depicting the head of a raven.

A carved pole stands, surrounded by grass and trees.

Painting of two people walking down a path towards distant buildings

An Inuit child kneels as a suited authority figure, likely a teacher, is poised to strike the youth’s hands with a ruler.

Collection of four paintings of spaces of memory, a bed, chalkboard, table and chairs, and home

green single bed and cross isolated on paper

painting of a schoolhouse window with 'sauvage' painted in red with a white gun in a display case below

A girl in a uniform stands in a darkened school.

A woman in an apron sits at a kitchen table

A busy schoolroom with uniformed students.

An installation of scars stitched into small canvases

Scarlet-coated Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers and black-robed clergy swarming across a sunlit yard outside a modest house.

A manila poster with the various slogans in vintage wood type.

A man in a blue shirt stands in a snowy landscape.

In a sequence of fixed, frontal photographic images, an Indigenous woman returns the camera’s gaze as the words on her shirt change, each iteration naming another facet of dispossession.

metal bed frame in an empty room with three windows shining light on the blanket on the bed.

Soapstone carving of a recumbent shaman figure.

Two standing figures face each other. A flock of birds fly above them.

A multi-panel artwork of black and white photocopies of photographs and floor plans.

Painting of a sockeye salmon in a net, seen from above.

Sepia-toned poster featured the words Spanish Reunion '88 in red type.

An assemblage fashioned from animal bones, hair, and other organic materials native to Nunavut

three black and white ladies against a bright yellow flat background

illustration of a person with lines crossing the page

A white-clad male figure poses in a forest.

A soapstone sculpture of a face surrounded by flowing forms.

This Has Touched My Life, 1991–92. Collection of the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau (IV-C-5498 a-d). Courtesy of the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Photo credit: Ernest Mayer. © Dorset Fine Arts.

Scattered items—drums and regalia—on a gallery floor

Two people, one man and a woman, perform in a gallery before an artwork on the floor.

wood carving of a bird sitting on top of a bear in the indigenous style

six people gathered around a table with a pink table cloth signing a paper

A woman stands in a snowy forest, Faded text on the right in a diptych.

Black and white family photos against a painted maritime background.

Washed out painting of people at residential school

A work on paper in pencil crayon depicting a plane flying over a snowy landscape.

A mixed-media self-portrait presents a young face divided by light and shadow.

Drawing of a boat in a harbour, the word "Stranger" appears on the side of the boat

Child's drawing of a pair of cowboy boots.

Graphic illustration of a water spirit, renddered in red, ochre and blue.

Abstract painting including hand prints and a hand written message

A Canadian flag, the red areas obscured by white thread.

A walkway and platform painted with bright flowers.

Gallery installation of a sprawling panorama of decorated wooden frames.

A white-clad figure leans against a tree.

drawing of bear and eagle connected by a line

A photograph of a two-story institutional building in a snowy landscape.

Credits for Photographs and Archival Materials

A carved pole is being raised on a university campus.

Andrea Walsh and Mark Atleo, Ahousaht First Nation and Survivor of the Alberni IRS.

An art installation of blankets in a large gallery.

Portrait of a team of Indigenous soccer players in 1897, posing with a trophy.

black and white photo of boys in a pottery class hand building and on the wheel

black and white photo of group of students and teachers in front of school

children wearing a first nations mask of a black bird with red eyes

A photograph of children on the steps of a Residential school.

architectural drawings oh residential school

black and white photograph of woman carving indigenous work

A school boy peeks at the camera from behind his artwork

A photograph depicting childrens’s artwork mounted on a wall.

Moccasins and cut flowers arranged on a a wooden surface

Sepia-toned photograph of a Residential School.

A black-and-white photograph of girls in a residential school, kneeling on the beds, praying.

photograph of the Canadian pavilion building

A gallery scene featuring a black blanket decorated with a white map.

Installation view of Here I am -- can you see me? by George Littlechild.

Two rows of small, framed square prints on a gallery wall.

Paintings line the walls of a dimly-lit gallery with green walls.

Photograph of three family members posing before an illustrated family portrait.

A junior girls’ class, Alberni Indian Residential School, undated.

black and white photo of children in classroom

Indigenous leader Murray Sinclair listens during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

Black and white photograph of a child painting at an easel

old tattered photograph of group of school children in front of school

Father and son holding a painting by the father.

The artist Norval Morriseau crouched over a painting he is working on outdoors.

A ceremony outside a carved and painted wooden house.

A crowd wearing orange shirts and carrying placards march in protest of Residential Schools.

A man with a drum kneels in front of two sculptures

Glyphs carved into natural stone depicting a whale and a boat.

Poster marking an exhibit of art from Residential and Day School survivors.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other members of Parliament listen as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Phil Fontaine speaks in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, June 11, 2008.

A red dress hangs in commemoration of children who died at the Kamloops Residential School

A crowd of Residential School survivors at a repatriation ceremony.

Students work on a large mural on a yellow scaffolding.

A man and an older woman in full regalia, carrying an orange t-shirt, lead a parade.

Hands holding a placard at a Sixties Scoop rally

Black-and-white photograph of a Residential School. A ceremonial pole stands in the foreground.

First nation person wearing a head dress

Black-and-white photograph of a group of young boys doing crafts at a table.

Group of indigenous people holding their framed artworks

A young Cree schoolboy poses for a portrait.

black and white photograph of three children wearing parkas

An age-yellowed piece of paper bearing a treaty that promises medicine, rations, and aid in times of famine

People gather around a bentwood box in a ceremony.

Book Credits

Publisher

Sara Angel

Senior Executive Editor

Victoria Nolte

Commissioning Editor

Melissa Rombout

Graphic Designer

Audrey Peters

Editors

Michael Rattray and Rosemary Shipton

Copy Editor

Imoinda Romain

Translator

Christian Martel

Proofreaders

Christian Martel and Imoinda Romain

Image Research Associate

Jessa Laframboise

Production Designers

Stephen Gregory and Meredith Holigroski

Design Template

Underline Studio

copyright

Art Canada Institute

Massey College, University of Toronto

4 Devonshire Place

Toronto, ON M5S 2E1

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Art, truth & reconciliation / by Gerald McMaster.

Other titles: Art, truth and reconciliation

Names: McMaster, Gerald, 1953- author. | Art Canada Institute, publisher.

Description: Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: Canadiana 20260166421 | ISBN 9781487104139 (HTML) | ISBN 9781487104146 (PDF)

Subjects: LCSH: Indigenous art—Canada—21st century. | LCSH: Art, Canadian—21st century. | LCSH: Off-reservation boarding schools in art. | CSH: Indigenous peoples—Canada—Residential schools.

Classification: LCC N6549.5.A54 M39 2026 | DDC 704.03/97071—dc23