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The Gallery in the Park in Altona is hosting two exhibits that interact with each other despite depicting two very different places and cultures.
Layered Histories: Perspectives on Colonization from the Chaco and Storied Land: (Re)Mapping Winnipeg are both the works of Miriam Rudolph. The Winnipeg-based artist grew up in the Chaco region of western Paraguay where a large concentration of Mennonites settled in the early 20th century.
“I would say the Mennonite communities out there compare very much to rural towns in Manitoba,” Rudolph observed in an interview on Morning Light.
The other comparison that Rudolph makes in her work is the history of colonization that Mennonites found themselves complicit in both in the Chaco and in Manitoba. This history came to the fore at the outset of creating Layered Histories, which Rudolph was asked to create by the British Museum in London to go alongside the Paraguayan artifacts in the museum’s collection. While Rudolph was excited at the prospect, she quickly found herself concerned with how to tell the story of the region with the Indigenous people who were an integral part of the land since time immemorial.
“As a descendent of white settlers, how do I approach this collection which consists entirely of Indigenous artifacts that were collected by Anglican missionaries,” Rudolph remembers asking herself.
With the guidance of Indigenous artists from the region, Rudolph eventually did create an artistic response to the region’s history, all the while trying to put the experiences of Indigenous peoples at the fore.
“The Mennonite narrative always goes somewhat like this: there was nothing here when we came, we made something of this land, we worked incredibly hard to achieve what we have achieved,” Rudolph explains. “Basically, we saved [the Indigenous people]. If we hadn’t come, they would all have perished. So, it’s a very typical colonial narrative.”
The art that Rudolph created and the conversations that she’s had around it have not always been easy, especially in a Paraguayan context. A similar show to Layered Histories has been on display in the Paraguayan capital, Asunción, and it has been met with discomfort by members of the Mennonite community steeped in the colonial narrative Rudolph is addressing. “A lot of the conversations regarding colonial history and efforts towards reconciliation or perceiving injustices are not at the same level as it is here in Canada,” says Rudolph, “but I did sense a great desire to want to walk and share experiences and try to find solutions for the future.”
Storied Land exists in the Gallery in the Park as an example of sharing experiences of colonial harm and finding solutions for reconciliation. First shared by Rudolph at the Winnipeg Art Gallery – Qaumajuq back in 2023, the stories in the exhibit came from the Winnipeg Free Press, which had just celebrated its 150th anniversary. While the stories also featured the Mennonites and their role in displacing Indigenous populations, there were also stories of reconciliation efforts, including some that Mennonites had direct involvement in.
“It was these smaller acts on the side that do give me the hope that I wanted to bring to Paraguay as well and say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to change the world overnight, but we can support certain causes towards reconciliation.’”
Layered Histories: Perspectives on Colonization from the Chaco and Storied Land: (Re)Mapping Winnipeg are both on display at Altona’s Gallery in the Park until July 31. Artist talks are being offered at 7 p.m. on June 19 and July 24. For hours and more information, visit the Gallery in the Park’s website.