A beautiful display of 78 Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Lanterns shines in the night in Morden's Suncatch Stage area, beside the clock tower building, as part the Pembina Hills Art Council's (PHAC) participation in Canada's Culture Days.
Programs Outreach and Exhibitions Coordinator at PHAC, Tye Dandridge-Evancio, explained how the project came about.
"It's called 'The Wall of Light'. I've been reaching out, since the beginning of September, to schools, to the community, to different organizations, basically just offering a few supplies as well as an instruction booklet, inviting everyone to create their own DIY lanterns with the intention of displaying everyone's lanterns as a mosaic of the dynamic and interesting culture that makes up the Pembina Valley region."
Dandridge-Evancio said he made a simple lantern for people to get the idea of how to make their own, and after seeing what came in, he felt a little underdressed for the party.
"I was really pleased with the schools' especially, as well as the community at-large, and the sheer number of lanterns we ultimately got and the amount of effort that's clearly gone into a lot of them. Everyone put in so much time and effort and really put their personalities, and I think it's really exciting because it speaks to exactly what I was going for with this quilt of everyone's individual personalities creating this beautiful wall of light with the lanterns. I would say all-in-all, it's been an astounding success and I couldn't be happier with the results."
The display was put up Thursday October 6th, Dandridge-Evancio said lanterns were being submitted even while he was putting up the display.
That evening, Morden's Alicia Buhler, her partner Carey Martens and their daughter went to see the display and the two lanterns they made for the Wall of Lights.
Buhler said they were grateful for a community project all ages and abilities could take part in.
"Which was awesome, since we have a toddler, and this was something that she could do. We had fun making the Lantern and then dropping it off at the Art Gallery. She was very proud to show the people at the gallery what she had made."
Buhler said they got to the Suncatch a bit early, before the sun had gone down.
"So, we went for a walk around the block, and then came back, and saw it all lit up. We just spent some time looking at all the different designs and all the creativity exhibited there, and our toddler just loved taking it all in, and pointing out what she saw."
While they were admiring the community display, Buhler added an elementary-aged child also came to see her contribution to The Wall of Light and remarked how proud she was her work was included with everyone else's.
That evening, as part of Culture Week, Kerri Parnell and Jessie Jannuska took part in an Artist talk as well.
PHAC shared this about the artists.
Kerri Parnell is a passionate artist whose work extends as a teacher through innovative art programs and youth organizations. Throughout the past 20 years she has worked with youth across Canada. Using art as a tool to process emotional trauma though video production with L.O.V.E. Halifax, creating art programs from the ground up in rural B.C. for youth who lacked resources. They currently work part-time at Graffiti Art Programming. In addition to working with youth, Parnell is a practicing artist with a 17-piece National Internment Art Exhibit 'Pause in Plight', supported by the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund (CFWWIRF). This Exhibit will tour Canada until 2025 to help bring awareness to the 24 internment camps across Canada in WW1. Parnell loves bridging my professional practice with the youth they mentor, to inspire them for future endeavors.
Jessie Jannuska is a Winnipeg-based interdisciplinary visual artist with mixed Dakota, Ojibway and settler ancestry. She is from Canupawakpa Dakota First Nation. She makes work based on her Indigenous culture as an act of healing. She will be presenting on her recent Truth and Reconciliation poster, painted tipi, and work in schools.
Learn more about Canada's Culture Days at culturedays.ca
