09/29/2026
The Art Gallery of Burlington will be closed on Wednesday, September 30 for 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
Last month, AGB staff worked with 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫, Vice-Provost, Indigenous Initiatives at Lakehead University to consider key questions regarding our personal reflections, hopes, truths, and stories connected to truth and reconciliation asking, “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲? 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡? 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬?”. These squares represent the staff’s thoughts and commitments woven together to form a collaborative quilt to honour residential school survivors, raise awareness, and advance the path toward reconciliation.
This quilt is a nod to the 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙨 initiative started by Vanessa Genier, offering handmade quilts to Residential School Survivors, Day School Survivors, Sixties Scoop Survivors, and their families. Each quilt stands as a quiet offering of love, a reminder that Survivors are seen, honoured, and never forgotten.
Our commitment extends beyond acknowledgment. We recognize the principles of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant—an enduring agreement among the nations of the Great Lakes region emphasizing peaceful coexistence, shared responsibility for the land, and respect for all living things—and we accept our place within that responsibility.
As stewards of the largest collection of contemporary Canadian ceramics, we feel this responsibility in a particular way. Clay is one of the Earth’s oldest languages. It carries memory, identity, and knowledge across time. In many Indigenous teachings, the Earth is understood not as a resource but as a living relation. When we celebrate ceramic art, we celebrate a living relationship between human hands, cultural knowledge, and the Earth beneath us.
Our quilt is displayed at our Lakeshore entrance in the Living Room. To learn more visit quiltsforsurvivors.ca
