Image credit: TRU

By Aaron Schulze

Witness Blanket

TRU’s Williams Lake campus welcomes artwork that recognizes legacy of Canada’s residential schools

Aug 4, 2023 | 11:29 AM

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — Thompson Rivers University (TRU) is welcoming a nationally recognized art installation to its Williams Lake campus.

In a news release, TRU says the Witness Blanket – created by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Indigenous artist Carey Newman – will be on display from Aug. 21 to Oct. 20, Mondays to Fridays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

“I talk about the Witness Blanket as a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call for commemoration initiatives,” Newman states. “It was my way of using art to talk about the truth of residential school history in Canada. It was inspired by my father and his experience.”

The Witness Blanket recognizes the dark and difficult legacy of residential schools in Canada. Inspired by a woven blanket, the cedar‐framed artwork is made of more than 800 reclaimed items — including braids of hair, a hockey trophy and a piece of stained glass — from 77 sites across Canada, including residential schools, churches and cultural organizations.