A PEOPLE’S HISTORY

June 2017 - December 2017

North End Halifax: A People's History brought people of different ages and artistic experiences together to create artwork that celebrated people they identified as significant in their community, including a family members who was a pillar in the community, an activist whose passion for homemade an impression on a teenager, and a man whose simple daily act of feeding pigeons was noted by an observant neighbour. We highlighted the North End’s rapidly changing landscape and it is noteworthy that a participant highlighted man who had lived in one North End house from his birth to his death (which occurred during our project) as development occurred all around his home. His stories made an impression on her and her children during research visits for the project. Starting with a small group format, then offering individual creation sessions, the facilitators supported a high level od artistic exploration. Wonder’neath had an extended period to use new equipment/troubleshoot with the support of Inkstorm Screenprinting Collective and more experienced screenprinters in the field. A pilot is an important tool to evaluate the potential of a project idea-participants cherished the opportunity to share and celebrate big and small ways that their chosen people contributed to their neighbourhood. Participants included first-time visitors to Wonder’neath as well as current participants of Open Studio who were able to invest more time to achieve greater artistic/technical expression. This project resonated with community members and will continue to have impact with scheduled upcoming exhibitions at Wooden Hills Gallery and Eyelevel Gallery.