The Project
The de Waal building is more than 100 years old and has been home to a grocery store, bookshop, furniture store and even a music studio throughout its history
Colleen Rauscher, Jenny Tzanakos, Ramsey Kunkel and Lucy Altrows aimed to create a community art project in which they would explore, together with the public, the idea of collective history. The group examined artifacts found in the de Waal building, collected written and recorded stories from the public, and held free land-based photography workshops in which participants learned analog, digital and alternative photography techniques. These workshops began, and were guided by, Indigenous Knowledge Keepers who shared Indigenous stories and connections to the site, Indigenous Ways of Knowing, and conversations on reconciliation and decolonization. The workshops facilitated an open space for the sharing of personal histories and the building of relationships.
Additionally, the group worked with local historians and historical societies during the project, to contextualize the connections between found objects, stories and people within the community.
Using various tools and photographic processes, such as disposable cameras or cyanotypes, members of the public created new artifacts in their own voice to be added to the history of this site. Throughout the duration of this project, the artists also produced installations, sculptural works and photographs. The resulting artworks and artifacts were exhibited at the Sparrow Artist Space.
In the Media
CBC | February 21, 2022
Join Calgary artists in an archeological dig of lost and forgotten items
The 2021 Artist-Initiated Microgrant
This project was funded as part of the 2021 Artist-Initiated Microgrant. Calgary Arts Development invited Calgary and area artists, or artist teams, to submit ideas to create art in public spaces. This program provided one-time funding of $150,000 overall to support the local artist community through the impacts of COVID, to a maximum of $40,000 for each project. This microgrant program recognized that public art opportunities can come from grassroots ideas that are initiated by professional artists.
Learn more here.