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U of S exhibit explores dark history, resilience of residential school and Holocaust survivors

The exhibit "They Didn’t Know We Were Seeds" was created by Saskatoon artist Carol Wylie. (Nicole Di Donato/CTV News) The exhibit "They Didn’t Know We Were Seeds" was created by Saskatoon artist Carol Wylie. (Nicole Di Donato/CTV News)
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SASKATOON -

A new exhibit on the University of Saskatchewan campus explores the dark history and resilience of residential school and Holocaust survivors.

The exhibit, called They Didn’t Know We Were Seeds, was created by Saskatoon artist Carol Wylie.

It features 18 four by three foot portraits of residential school and Holocaust survivors. There is no text or artifacts to go along with the paintings so that people can have a personal, reflective and silent dialogue with the survivors.

“These are very private experiences but you can appreciate through these portraits, through looking at these faces, imagining not only their incredible stories of strength, resiliency, survivorship but also the fact that these portraits now represent their legacy,” said Kirsten Falzarano, programs and outreach coordinator at the Diefenbaker Canada Centre.

Falzarano said there is a self-guided tour to go along with the exhibit where people are encouraged to ask themselves questions about the survivors.

“Why do you think this individual participated in this exhibit? What do you think they would want you to know? What would you like to ask them? So, the idea is that you can take the time and look at each of these individuals and maybe gain a better understanding of their experience,” Falzarano said.

Some of the pieces have hidden words painted onto them that stood out to Wylie while speaking with the survivors. On one of the Holocaust survivors’ portraits, the words “hunger,” “disease” and “loss” can be seen hidden in the black background.

The portraits of residential school survivors feature red paint on the left side to represent missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and men, according to Falzarano.

She added that the paintings are meant to capture the survivors’ stories and memorialize them once they are gone.

“Many of the Holocaust survivors are dwindling, they’re older and they’re starting to disappear and eventually the same thing will happen with residential school survivors. So, we have stories, we have information and this is another form of remembrance,” Falzarano said.

The exhibit is open to the public until the end of February.

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