Exhibition Overview

On September 30th at 1pm, the MJMAG presented an In conversation with Cassidy and Kayleigh Olson to reflect on the memorial they organized in Moose Jaw to honour the lost children of the Residential School System, why they were motivated to do so and the importance of addressing the ongoing impacts of the Residential School System on Indigenous peoples to take accountability for Canada’s history of cultural genocide. Click here to watch this recorded event.

This exhibit presents a selection of the hundreds of pairs of shoes that accumulated on the steps of St. Andrews United Church in Moose Jaw, SK, from May 30th to June 7th, 2021. The memorial was initiated by local Indigenous sisters, Cassidy and Kayleigh Olson, to honour the lives of 215 children of the Tk'emlups te Secwépemc First Nation, whose remains were found buried at the former site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops, BC.

Similar displays of memorial have taken place across the country. We hope that this presentation of the memorial at St. Andrew’s United Church will open space for listening and learning about the truth of Indigenous experience in Canada, contributing towards discussion and reflection on Canadian accountability, for the trauma and atrocities of its colonialist systems, and commitment to making real change towards Truth and Reconciliation in support of the healing of Indigenous people across the nation for the benefit of our future generations.

Photographs of the memorial are provided by Murray Crandon of VE5 Photography.

Virtual Exhibition