The
Canadian
Library
Through Art. We Reconcile, Reconnect, & Rebuild.
What is
The Canadian Library?
What are
Micro Galleries?
Micro Galleries, Everywhere!
The Canadian Library is a community-engaged art installation made up of more than 8,000 hardcover books, each individually covered in Indigenous-designed or Indigenous-inspired fabric and arranged on bookshelves. The names of lives lost are placed in gold lettering on the spines of the books, creating a powerful visual memorial that honours Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples and the children who never returned home from residential schools.
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Through the beauty of the fabrics and the presence of each name, The Canadian Library seeks to evoke empathy, understanding, reflection, and a shared desire for meaningful change.
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The Canadian Library has, and continues to, consult and collaborate with Indigenous friends, Elders, artists, Knowledge Keepers, and community members who help guide this work with care and respect. As allies, we seek to build relationships rooted in trust, consent, humility, and meaningful action, while continuing to support Indigenous families and communities in ways that are respectful, collaborative, and guided by those most impacted.
The First Micro Gallery
As the project was trying to get off the ground, with the little funds that were collected amongst a small team of women, an initial bookcase was needed to house the covered books. A tall Billy bookcase for sale was found on Facebook Marketplace. The owner was kind enough to deliver it to TCL’s makeshift office and in the process of ‘chit-chat’ and understanding the purpose of the bookcase and the aim of the project, the owner shared her story.
She is the daughter of a residential school survivor. TCL felt so blessed that the first donation of a bookcase was from the daughter of a residential school survivor. Her mother is a survivor of the Shingwauk Residential School and to have her kick off this journey was very powerful.
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The team at TCL also discovered profound beauty in the culture of Indigenous peoples. The art, designs and colours that we have been exposed to, through the fabrics, are breathtaking, which have been purchased through Indigenous businesses.
What started as a few like-minded women wanting to help educate each other, through humility and respect, on the past and present state of affairs surrounding Indigenous families, has led TCL to create a beautiful living memorial and an educational tool to help settlers learn.