Ottawa public art project invites residents to sit with Algonquin Anishinaabe art

Two benches designed by Algonquin Anishinaabe artists are now featured in Byron Linear Tramway Park, representing the long-standing presence of Indigenous peoples on this land. Photo by Jean Levac /POSTMEDIA

Article content

For Algonquin Anishinaabe artist Jade Rogers-Baptiste, one of the most rewarding aspects of her creative process is watching others interact with her art.

Article content

And now, she gets to watch people sit with her art. Quite literally.

Article content

Article content

Rogers-Baptiste and fellow artist Sylvia Tennisco are the two Algonquin creatives behind the new benches featured in Byron Linear Tramway Park, as part of the City of Ottawa’s public art program around the future Sherbourne LRT station.

Article content

Article content

“The main thing is to foster curiosity and knowledge for people who are interested in just looking around, taking a moment to stop and maybe read a plaque or sit on a bench,” Rogers-Baptiste said.

Article content

Article content

While growing up on the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation, Rogers-Baptiste said she was always drawn toward the link between Indigenous teachings and art.

Article content

So, when she was selected to design a bench, she chose to pull inspiration from the Seven Grandfather Teachings, which she described as foundational Anishinaabe principles passed down from elders on how to lead a full life and respect the Earth.

Article content

Two benches designed by Algonquin Anishinabe artists are now featured in Byron Linear Tramway Park, representing the long-standing presence of Indigenous peoples on this land. Photo by Jean Levac /POSTMEDIA

Article content

The teachings are visualized on the bench through the footprints of different sacred animals, with the black prints providing a sharp contrast to the light-wood tone of the bench.

Article content

“It’s a way to prompt questions and curiosity, because a lot of art tends to be straightforward … but I did it in a way where it’s curious and strange to me,” she said. “Why is there footprints of these different animals? Some people may see it differently, and it would make them investigate it.”

Article content

Located nearby is Tennisco’s bright-coloured bench, titled “Sturgeon,” which represents the importance of the freshwater fish species for Algonquin people, especially before major dam projects changed the landscape of the Ottawa River. Now, the sturgeon is facing extinction.

Article content

Article content

“A sturgeon is very resilient — it’s been around for years,” Tennisco said. “The fact that it’s jumping out of the boat (in the bench design) shows that it’ll keep on surviving, just like our people will keep on surviving.”

Article content

Two benches designed by Algonquin Anishinaabe artists are now featured in Byron Linear Tramway Park, representing the long-standing presence of Indigenous peoples on this land. Photo by Jean Levac /POSTMEDIA

Article content

Article content

By featuring the sturgeon, Tennisco also aimed to honour the Algonquin way of storytelling, since the durable sturgeon spine and cartilage would historically be “meticulously woven” into wampum belts, with the material lasting the belt’s entire lifespan.

Article content

For both artists, one of the major challenges was learning to incorporate their designs into the constraints and requirements of urban art.

Article content

To help bridge the gap, Algonquin Anishinaabe artist Claude Latour, who previously designed a bench of his own as part of a public art project at the Flora Footbridge, was brought onto the project to offer mentorship to both artists, helping them transform their two-dimensional designs into three-dimensional art.

Article content

“A call came out with the city, but they realized that it’s two different cultures, and it’s a different understanding of the cultural divide between Indigenous communities that aren’t privy to the urban movement of time,” Latour said.