I chose to use an image from the Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun: Unceded Territories exhibit. The exhibition had pieces from over thirty years of his work. All of the paintings were bright, powerful and vivid. I chose to use one of his paintings because he uses art as a mean to create political action. I connect to the idea of art and change because of my background in Applied Theatre. Yuxweluptun will paint what he sees, and with the Theatre I have created in the past it was often stemmed from my personal experiences. In the piece An Indian Game (Juggling Books), one can see a aboriginal character dressed in a business suit juggling the idea of truth and policy in the form of a book. The man beside him however is not wearing a suite and matches the land and colors behind him. This contrast is very powerful. The image of juggling the books reminds me of how I feel as a teacher candidate and incorporating aboriginal studies into the classroom. It is a new subject and one that I want to approach appropriately and truthfully. However, I am still unsure of what form and where I will use it in the classroom. After visiting the museum I was inspired and hope to use storytelling and my experiences and my students as an avenue to integrate a more holistic way of teaching my classroom.

Jillian O’Quinn