The Many Red Dresses for Awareness Project, April Doepker, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

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Artist April Doepker's project titled "The Many Red Dresses for Awareness Project", honours the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirited (MMIWG2S+), and shows support for their families, friends and communities. Attendees will have the opportunity to view the installation piece and take part in the installation by creating their own version of a miniature red dress using the materials provided by the artist. This installation will take place at SCYAP on September 30th, 2022 from 3PM-6PM as part of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Description:

This installation will feature a life-size red dress designed and created by April Doepker. Created in honor of MMIWG2S. Using special lighting to create a haloed effect over the divine image. Sprigs of sage (one of the four sacred herbs – the women’s herb) and sweetgrass braids wrapped with coloured ribbons will flow out of one of the sleeves. The other sleeve will have tobacco ties coming out of the bottom as if she is holding it; the relationship holds the prayers of the grieving families and communities—bows of cedar around the bottom of the dress. Strings of fishing line or wire or twine will be strung from the walls to the main red dress. Using mini clothespins, the mini dresses will be hung and installed by me, the artist, as they are created and decorated by the passers-by/ viewers. A hidden fan blowing gently moves the dresses in the breeze and the ribbons and fabric on the life-size dress.

Two workstations off to the side of the installation will provide art supplies for the viewers and passers-by to create their own mini red dresses. Supplies will include shapes of dresses to choose from and trace onto red card stock paper to form the base for the mini-dress designs. Red fabric, beads, glitter, lace, ribbon, sequence, sparkles and other red decorative materials will be available. The mini red dresses become part of the installation that will reflect the love and respect of the individual that made them. They can also write a message on the back if they wish.

The vision is to surround the life-size red dress image with hundreds or thousands of smaller dresses that will capture the image of the countless numbers of MMIWG2S.

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Nuit Blanche Saskatoon

Nuit Blanche Saskatoon is a free night-time contemporary arts festival featuring projections, sculptural installations, performance, music, theatre, and other contemporary art forms that wow festival-goers late into the evening. This year's festival takes place in the Broadway and Downtown neighbourhoods from 7pm-12am on September 24th.