Indigenous artwork to be displayed at new policing headquarters – 91.9 The Bend

May 23, 2024

A public art piece for the new regional policing headquarters has been approved for $200, 000.

It’s called ‘Spirit of Reconciliation’ and is the first Indigenous installation under the City’s Percent for Public Art Policy, to a maximum of $200,000 per project.

Designed by Brian Francis, a Mi’kmaq artist from Elsipogtog, and Fredericton artist Jean Hudson, Spirit of Reconciliation includes a five-metre-long powder-coated steel and iron sculpture in the shape of a birch bark canoe. The bright red canoe will be lit from within to highlight cutouts of images inspired by consultation with elders and research on Mi’kmaq petroglyphs and ancient symbols.

“I commend the city of Moncton and Codiac Regional Police Authority for actually doing an act of reconciliation. For non-Indigenous society, it has a different meaning than what it is in our culture. In our culture, the term reconciliation is a sacred word, and when you translate it properly, it’s forgiveness. When you use the term reconciliation, you expect an action. So it’s more than just a word, more than just a policy, more than just a feel-good word, it’s actually something that we need to exchange.” Francis says.

Read More: https://www.919thebend.ca/2024/05/23/77018/#