ABOUT REIMAGINING ATTAWAPISKAT
In response to heightened media attention placing Attawapiskat in the spotlight, "Reimagining Attawapiskat" aims to create a more nuanced portrayal of what life is like from multiple perspectives. This youth-driven project is a collaborative initiative between artists within the community and art educators who share a passion for mixed media storytelling and community health.
Building from the creative strengths of youth artists in the community, Reimagining Attawapiskat
aims to be part of a broader conversation about co-creating counter-stories to mainstream media narratives. The project uses a mixed media digital storytelling approach and involves a research team comprised of artists and researchers based at the University of Victoria/Coast Salish Territory. Project participants contribute to a deepened sense of understanding about cree culture, treaties and environmental justice.
By focusing on local images, voices and stories, this project seeks to enable a wider conversation about this place community members call their home. This project began by encouraging Attawapiskat senior art students to produce postcards from their artworks in order to circulate images of their community on their own terms. Through diverse media, ranging from digital storytelling, to music videos and postcards, project participants contribute to a more meaningful dialogue about Cree culture while celebrating and honouring their ties to the territory, including land and water.