From the clear glass doors of the Museum of Anthropologies Multiversity Galleries, Her First Day of School and His First Day of School by Dionne Paul are visible. The two images that make up one piece together are situated at the entrance to many shelves and displays of artifacts. The image prints are stacked in a fixture with Her First Day of School on top and His First Day of School being below. Both images are quite similar. Each depicts a child on their first day of school and both smile as if posing for a proud parent. However, superimposed on top of what seems to be somewhat present-day photos, are black and white images of school uniforms that look quite old. The contrast to the coloured images and black and white images are very stark not only with their shades but with the styles. It is clear that the image that has been placed on top is from a different time period. The black and white uniform images are also left in a rectangular crop, making it obvious how deliberate Paul’s choice was and draws attention to what seems like a somewhat unsettling artistic choice. The effect of an old film strip surrounds the two children, connecting more with the old uniform images instead of the present day children. Below the images is a description plaque that completes the artworks, explaining that the black and white images are depictions of residential schools.
The Multiversity Galleries contains many artifacts and items that have been collected, donated, and purchased over the years. Her First Day of School and His First Day of School stand out as being considerably modern. The two pieces are photographic prints that have been edited and displayed. All around the fixture are wood carvings, traditional masks, baskets, and other Indigenous works. These items seem to be behind the prints, visible in the background when looking at the images’ fixture. In Figurative Repatriation: First Nation ‘Artist-Warriors’ Recover, Reclaim, and Return Cultural Property through Self-Definition, Jennifer Kramer discusses Robert Houle’s concept of the “artist-warrior” (173), artists that use the ways of modern art to start conversation and self-define their culture by creating works and placing them in Western museums. Paul’s two pieces are examples of this. The two images are to “juxtapose the atrocities of the Indian residential school experiences with the modern-day school experience,” as Paul states on the plaque. The photographs call the viewer to see and understand the differences between our understanding of school and the type of schooling that Indigenous children were forced into. With a rich culture surrounding these images, with the other pieces in the gallery, it paints a mental picture of what background these children were forced to give up.
When I first saw the two images, I was drawn in because the medium of photography felt familiar to me. The children looked happy and cute but the black and white image made me realize that there was something different going on than just a picture of kids on their first day of school. I have studied the residential schools in the past so I already knew about the horrible things that happened there, and sadly not too long ago. I found the presentation of the two pieces was done is an excellent way to spark conversation for us in a Western culture in its familiar and contrasting format compared to the works around it.
References:
Kramer, Jennifer. “Figurative Repatriation”. Journal Of Material Culture, vol 9, no. 2, 2004, pp. 161-182. SAGE Publications, doi:10.1177/1359183504044370. Accessed 18 Jan 2019.
Paul, Dionne. Her First Day of School. 2013, Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC.
Paul, Dionne. His First Day of School. 2013, Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, BC.