FREE or by donation, for teenagers & adults, all abilities, register on Eventbrite

During this workshop, we will explore the meaning of reconciliation for ourselves and our community, look at what actions we can take as individuals and make decorated orange felt butterfly pins that symbolize our commitment to change. We will provide a reconciliation passport and a notebook to each participant as we will be doing some sharing and some writing. This workshop will be taught by Diana Frost and Elder John Sinclair.

Elder John Sinclair

Elder John Sinclair’s roots go back to Good Fish Lake and Ermineskin First Nations. He identifies as a non-status Cree person and he is a second generation survivor of residential school. During his early years, he grew up in the bush and loved the lifestyle. When his family moved to Edmonton, he was introduced to discrimination. Violence and substance abuse became a way of life and eventually he was incarcerated. It was while he was in prison that John was introduced to his culture. For over 30 years, he has been learning about the ceremonial way of life. He has earned the rights to carry a pipe and has been working for over 19 years as an Elder.

Diana Frost

Originally from Quebec, Diana spent her teenage years in Western Africa which was an early awakening to different cultures. Following that experience, she became an environmental engineer and worked in Latin America and the Caribbean for 7 years. Diana then moved back to Canada to work on water distribution and treatment systems in Calgary. Aside from being an engineer, Diana is also an Algonquin Métis whose mother and two uncles are survivors of residential schools. She is also an artist and a musician.

I started making art when I was a child in my grandfather's art studio and then I simply continued to develop my skills. Mostly self-taught, I like to paint people and portraits in particular. My latest portraits have been of Indigenous women heroes of mine as they inspire me by their actions. I like to paint portraits that show beauty and strength. Lately I would like my artwork to make people think about Indigenous history, culture and issues, help them to see the beauty and wisdom of our culture.

This Workshop is part of the Honouring the Children Exhibition & Workshops, organized by CIF Reconciliation Society

We thank our funding partners: Calgary Arts Development and Sparrow Artspace!