Journey Women was an art exhibit of large-scale; body-map images depicting the healing experiences of eight Aboriginal women created in a three-day workshop. The collaborative research project between Minwaashin Lodge- Aboriginal Women’s Support Centre and Concordia University aimed to gain an understanding of the conditions that contribute or challenge Aboriginal women in their process of healing from violence, and the long-term impacts of that violence. The workshop was facilitated by art therapist Lucy Lu and Felice Yuen, Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences of Concordia University. 
The process of body-mapping was adapted for the exploration of the healing experiences of indigenous women, and the model of mapping out the life journey was adapted from a linear viewpoint to a circular life-cycle to fit the indigenous life perspective. The workshop incorporated traditional indigenous ceremony of prayer, smudging, drumming, and singing which were led by the women; as well as movement and grounding activities, poetry and art creation.
In pairs, women helped trace their body outlines to how they see themselves today. Then they created an outline of another image that would represent their support network – people, agencies, events, spiritual supports, and anything else that has given them strength. They used colours and symbols to depict how they have felt supported by their support network. They filled in their own outlines with the colours and textures that depicted their pain as well as their healing. The outline of themselves and their support were placed in communication with each other and showed how each woman views their relationship to their support networks. This process supported indigenous women to map out their journey towards healing and identifying with other positive and affirming aspects of themselves and their culture; besides the pain, hurt, abuse, violence, and cultural assimilation.
The women were then asked to create symbols depicting different aspects of their life journey. Using the traditional life-cycle, based on the medicine wheel starting from the right hand corner and moving clockwise, women mapped out their origins; the challenges they have overcome in their life, where they are now, and where they see themselves going. They also marked their points of power on their body with a personal symbol that meant something to their identities. Women were encouraged to choose how to depict their self portraits- add words, or a personal slogan that gives meaning to them and their journey. Throughout the process, women were encouraged to share to the level they felt comfortable and they were always reminded that they could share their story anonymously in order protect their privacy.The exhibit represents the journey of courageous women mapping their stories to raise awareness around violence against indigenous women, while celebrating the resilience and strength of these women on their healing journeys.
