Art, Truth & Reconciliation

“Truth-telling is profoundly visual. Art created by Indigenous peoples
is not mere expression—it is cognitive, ceremonial, and political. From the early paintings of children in residential schools to the contemporary works of survivors and descendants, this art conveys stories of rupture and resistance, land and language, memory and resurgence. It is visual sovereignty in motion—asserting Indigenous ways of knowing, seeing, and relating.”

– Gerald McMaster

Art, Truth & Reconciliation is structured in three sections that explore the works of different generations of artists: children who were in residential schools, artists who recall their time in residential schools, and a contemporary generation of visual creators who are coming to terms with the knowledge of residential schools. Poignant, passionate, and a call to action, the book reveals how Indigenous art continues to shape collective healing and understanding. In the hands of Indigenous artists, visual creativity breaks silences, bears witness to the truth, and documents the past with an eye to a more just future.

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