Official Denial series

Offical Denial is an interactive art project initiated by artist Leah Decter and curated by Jaimie Isaac. "(official denial) trade value in progress" fosters exchange and elicits dialog about contemporary conditions of settler colonialism, processes of decolonization and reconciliation in Canada. In June of 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper made an official ‘Statement of Apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools.’ In September of 2009, he delivered a speech to the G20 Summit in which he stated of Canada, that ‘we also have no history of Colonialism’. "(official denial) trade value in progress" appropriates the latter statement as a starting point for dialog. A textile piece made up of a composite of Hudson Bay blankets with this statement machine sewn at the center acts as the platform for response and dialog.

People are invited to write their response to the statement in a book when the piece is exhibited or presented. In a series of sewing actions participants choose a response that someone else has contributed to the book and hand-sew it onto the blanket. As the project evolved a growing dialog is made visible through these actions. The project is carried out in recognition of the imperative for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to be involved in these processes.

trade value (excerpts) was supported by the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC) as part of its “Healing and Reconciliation through Education” programming, funded by an Aboriginal Healing Foundation Indian Residential Schools Research Grant. This grant of $500,000 was awarded to the SRSC at Algoma University in August 2012.