I am grateful for the time that KC Adams spent with us in her exhibition, Gidamaji’igoomin maamikawiseyang gidoodaanaaminaan, at C2 Centre for Craft, with some of our classmates from the course Public Art: Nuit Blanche and Other Ruptures.

In the Nuit Blanche podcast, Belonging to Place, Episode 8, “Exchanges for Collaborations,” INUA curator, Krista Ulujak Zawadski shared that when she would visit the old Inuit Vault in the basement of the Winnipeg Art Gallery she would speak Inuktitut to all of the pieces, and greet them by saying, “Hello, I can see you,” to the artworks (Nagam, 2021).

On May 18th, 2022, the Public Art: Nuit Blanche and Other Ruptures Course was fortunate to receive a tour and discussion by our fellow classmate, celebrated artist, KC Adams, of her public artworks located at the Forks.

After spending a day with peers and guests looking at art in Winnipeg for Dr Julie Nagam's course, Public Art: Nuit Blanche and other Ruptures, and an evening drinking, eating, and unpacking class concepts together, a few of our group went to see classmate KC Adams’ exhibition at C2 Centre for Craft.

I was introduced to the art form using whitefish ‘fish scales’ through a symposium held virtually through the Winnipeg Art Gallery in the spring of 2022.

Ininíwak playwright Tomson Highway’s The Rez Sisters follows seven Indigenous women, all related by blood or marriage, as they save, barter, and make their way to Toronto to participate in “The Biggest Bingo in the World.”

When I was in Toronto, I also saw Jorian Charlton’s exhibition titled Jorian Charlton: Out of Many at the AGO.

Even though I settled in Winnipeg at the young age of 5—and only a handful of months before my sister was born—I vividly remember the ways our mother shaped this place into our home.

This past weekend, I went on a very short to trip to Toronto to visited some family and explore the city a bit. I was kind of nervous about going on a trip while still having to do work for this course, but given that many of the readings talk about Nuit Blanche in Toronto, I’m so glad that I did.

I will be honest, before this class I did not realize or appreciate how complex and important public art is; I took public art for granted and never acknowledged its relationship to place.

One day after a few drinks following class, I asked KC and a few others if they wanted to see KC’s exhibition, Our spirit awakens when we remember our past at C2 Centre for Craft.

When I first moved to Manitoba, my partner's family, from a small town outside Winnipeg, told me of the Wavers of Brokenhead. This was one of the first site-specific stories shared with me about this place.

I cannot help but have eyes of wonder. When something unexplainable and yet glorious comes into view, my heart stops and amazement of what I see captivates me. To come across the essay “Wonder, Stargazing and Utopia” written by Janine Marchessault, was to put words to my frequent states of wonder.

On May 22, 2022, Vancouver-based Dene film producer Kevin Redvers was preparing to walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of Valeria Bruni Tedeschi’s Les Amandiers.

Dr. Julie Nagam’s opening questions for her course “Nuit Blanche and Other Ruptures” were ruptures in themselves.

The public art scene in Buffalo is on the rise and walking tours to view the public works of art are becoming a common norm within the city (Hayden).

One of the concepts that caught my attention over the course was the idea of reclaiming Urban Space through public art.

While doing research for my Creative Intervention Project I spent a lot of time looking at how the use of water can be used as more than just a statement or a rallying call for the creation of public art and other ruptures.  One such rabbit hole I explored, in this regard, was Peregrine Church and his Rainworks Project.

I appreciate how this essay offers a historical analysis of Winnipeg’s colonial history through the medium of public art. Honour Black and Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair take their readers on a path filled not only with Indigenous curated public art, but one filled with Indigenous acts of resistance and cultural resilience.

In Dr Julie Nagam’s course Public Art: Nuit Blanche and Other Ruptures, artist and educator Mark Igloliorte joined our class over zoom to discuss his artistic practice, his Inuit culture, and his upcoming work for Nuit Blanche Toronto.