The City of Lethbridge has announced its plan to consult Indigenous artists in the creation of the Indigenous Legacy Commemoration Project.
“Artist-led engagement is a relatively new kind of an approach to solicit feedback or help design processes where art is central to the outcome,” said the city’s Indigenous relations advisor Perry Stein.
Two commemorative initiatives, centered around Residential School Survivors, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Peoples will be created with the goal of honouring victims, survivors and their families.
It’s a joint project between the city’s Reconciliation Lethbridge Advisory Committee, Public Art Program and Indigenous Relations Office.
“Commemorations can often take the form of a (healing) garden or a piece of public art or an education project, mural-making,” Stein said.
“We’re open to anything at the moment. (The) sky is the limit.”
Currently, the city is looking for Indigenous artists to submit a letter indicating their interest in working on community engagement and helping to facilitate the project.
Interested applicants have until May 14 to submit their expression of interest through the city.
“A selection committee has been created, they will short-list the different applications and then those applicants who were short-listed will be invited to take part in a full proposal kind of stage,” he said.
“We’re really excited that there’s been so much interest so far.”
Stein added the project will likely take two to three years to complete.