Edmonton based artist Riaz Mehmood strives to capture the complexities of his homeland, Khyber Paskhtunkhwa, Pakistan. On December 16, 2014, 134 school children and 15 adults were killed when heavily armed militants stormed the Army Public School & College in nearby Peshawar. As a vital tool of resistance, the community is committed to remembering those who were lost, in their continued search for justice. In Remember/Resist/Relive, Mehmood tenderly crafts a space to honour this terrible loss, and to gently hold their grief.

We are committed to Reconciliation and regularly offer Indigenous programming for the community. However, this month, we welcome you to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with us actively. The day honours the children who never returned home, the Survivors of Residential Schools, and their affected families and communities. On September 30, Canadians are encouraged to wear orange to honour those impacted. The orange shirt symbolizes the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.  

In the Art Gallery of St. Albert, we invite you to drop in for a FREE art activity on September 30 from 10 am to 5 pm. You can create, decorate and take home your own orange shirt art piece.  

At the Musée Héritage Museum, you can learn about the Indigenous Peoples of Canada with our Indigenous Identities Display and the Métis Memories of Residential Schools activity. The Museum’s Discovery Room has Orange Shirt Day activities for all ages. The Museum is open 10 am–5 pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays.  

After visiting the Gallery and Museum, we encourage you also to visit St. Albert’s Healing Garden across the Sturgeon River behind St. Albert Place. The Healing Garden is a place of reflection, peace, understanding and learning; it is a place of truth and reconciliation.

Red ribbons carve ancient trails through quilted landscapes, marking paths taken by generations past. The trails wander through woods made of satin, lace, leather and yarn, navigating towards ghostly prairie lakes. These aerial views are maps, blending the memories of these lands from THE past with the changes seen today.