Arts Based Research

Ferguson, K. (2022). Homeland of the Métis Nation: A critical inquiry into the hidden curriculum at Winnipeg’s Upper Fort Garry. In E. Lyle Re/humanizing education (pp. 186-199). Brill|Sense. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/yorkvilleu/detail.action?docID=6992983

  • Background on Métis History:

    • Profound and persistent misunderstandings about Métis people.

    • 150 years ago, during the Manitoba Act, Louis Riel took an anti-colonial approach against Canadian land surveyors trying to take over Métis land.

    • Negotiated Manitoba's entry into Confederation, securing a Bill of Rights for Métis people.

    • Sir John A. Macdonald overthrew the Métis government, leading to the expulsion of Métis people from their homes.

  • Louis Riel's Legacy:

    • Riel is viewed as a hero by some and a traitor by others due to his actions in defending Métis rights.

  • Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum:

    • Examining the hidden curriculum in public spaces in Winnipeg, particularly at Upper Fort Garry.

    • Hidden curriculum conveyed through semiotic sources like imagery, spatial dynamics, and interaction between discourse and ideas.

    • Aims to disrupt settler coloniality in public spaces and creatively address doubts, fictions, and silences.

  • Refiguring Presences:

    • Advocates for disrupting settler coloniality through sociopolitical and cultural integral inquiry, processes, and analysis.

    • Utilizes a/r/tography and pop-up soil art installations to rehumanize and educate in public spaces.

  • Observations at Upper Fort Garry:

    • Louis Riel's presence at the fort is ostracized, with his only picture located outside.

    • Heritage wall at the fort juxtaposes historical significance with corporate sponsorship.

    • Artist creates Louis Riel sculpture from dirt on the sidewalk to provoke passerby reflection on his presence and the dispossession of land.

    • Emphasizes the role of land as both a medium and message, highlighting historic tensions still present.