FROm the earth we grow

ANNA BINTA DIALLO, COUZYN VAN HEUVELEN, SANDY WILLIAMS IV
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OCTOBER 12, 2021 - APRIL 1, 2022

​​"male figure" & "female figure holding child".  Collages printed on Russian Plywood. Anna Binta Diallo, 2021.
Photo : Courtesy of VAC

Starting on October 12, the VAC is pleased to announce the opening of a new public sculpture initiative from the earth we grow. This project will present free outdoor art installations on the VAC grounds in the upcoming fall until 2022. Taking inspiration from untold, little-known, or oft-ignored BIPOC events, stories, and activists within Canadian history, three artists will create interactive, challenging, and historically critical public outdoor sculptures. Bowmanville-based Inuk artist Couzyn van Heuvelen, Montreal-based artist Anna Binta Diallo, and Richmond-Virginia-based artist Sandy Williams IV have been invited to present works in response to historically-ignored histories within Canada's many diverse communities.

Intended to serve both local and greater communities, the project will see the VAC invite over 70 schools for pre-scheduled educational exhibition tours for visiting classes. The project will offer audiences and participating educational institutions personal tours that will expand on each work’s significance, background, and artistic intent. Selected writers including Kristy Triner, Josephine Dennis, and Yaniya Lee will present new critical responses to each work, available in October online. 

Virtual Tours of the exhibition will also be made available.