10,000 glass beads make up Hamilton’s newest art installation

Hamilton | Art | Community |

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Published October 2, 2023 at 11:22 am

all our relations art hamilton

A new public art installation shines a light on Hamilton’s Indigenous community with 10,000 glass beads.

The artwork, led by Cree/Metis fashion designer Angela DeMontigny with Cobalt Connects, Paull Rodrigue and LaFontaine Iro, is called All Our Relations.

The piece was unveiled at the Hamilton West Harbour on Saturday (Sept. 30) marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Dundas-based craftsperson Paull Rodrigue created the handmade glass beads for All Our Relations. Volunteers helped install the beads on five tall panels.

In the artist’s statement, DeMontigny says traditional teachings she received through the years as well as the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, inspired the art installation.

“I hope to remind people when they visit the Hamilton waterfront, of the intrinsic and interdependent relationship we have with Mother Earth, the natural world: the water, the plants, trees and medicines, and the animal world,” she writes.

“This also includes the Spirit World, the Sky Beings, the 4 Sacred Winds, our Grandfather the Sun, Grandmother Moon, and our Ancestors the Stars. I also wanted to acknowledge all the Indigenous Ancestors who have historically called this area home for millennia – from the Neutral, Anishnabek, and Huron nations and more recently, the Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas.”

The new artwork was celebrated on Saturday with dance, drumming and speeches.

“The way the sun peeked out and hit those 10,000 glass beads during today’s ceremony — it was stunning,” said Suzanne Zandbergen, owner of The Generator, social media marketing company.

For more information, see the All Our Relations website and the artist proposal here.

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