By Adrienne Klein
The Shifting Ground Lines: Shifting Pluralist Perspectives exhibition explores how cultural backgrounds influence their view of landscapes and use of land through framed depictions of Canadian landscapes, from Carl Ray’s Medicine Bear to Lawren Harris’ Lake and Mountains, hanging on the crisp black walls of the main floor of L.R. Wilson.
[spacer height="20px"]Shifting Ground Lines: Shifting Pluralist Perspectives is an exhibition curated by Brandon Coombs and a production team consisting of Beatrice Hammond, Sienna Suji Kim, Kyle Wyndham-West and Jennifer Yacula of McMaster University. It is composed of twelve photo reproductions of artistic Canadian landscapes and is part of the Socrates Project at McMaster University, which aims to shed light on pressing issues through interdisciplinary approaches.
[spacer height="20px"]The exhibition was originally conceived as part of a project for Art History 4X03 administered by Angela Sheng, an associate professor in the Art History department, where students were tasked with curating a visual exhibit. Beatrice Hammond, who is a fifth-year art history and English major, explained that her group decided to do their project on Canadian landscapes because they wanted to challenge and question popular ideas surrounding the meaning of Canadian art.
“When people think of Canadian landscape their mind automatically goes to the Group of Seven. That’s what we were taught in elementary school. Go to the art gallery, see the Group of Seven, learn it, but we don’t usually get to see that that’s not the only landscape,” explained Hammond.
“That’s not the only representation of landscape or Canadian landscape and there’s so many different representations. [W]e really wanted to shift the narrative… we’re shifting the notion of what is the conventional landscape and shifting away from the settler, colonial ideas of art and…what is beauty and what is landscape.”
The director of the Socrates project, Rina Fraticelli, trusted these students to make the entire exhibit a reality. They were given the upmost independence in the curation process. They picked pieces to include, framed the artwork by hand, marketed the project and were involved in every details from inception of the project to the closing reception.
“There were a lot of components to this and I learned so much about the professional art world through this experience. It was crazy learning how museums and galleries work and how to communicate with them and get results. Like how to get people to give you photo reproductions, how to get them to ship them to you, you know, just working with people,” said Hammond.
[spacer height="20px"]The reception for the exhibit has received a positive response thus far. On Sept. 26, Coombs gave a curatorial talk where he discussed the way that we create artificial boundaries in various areas of society and Hammond enjoyed watching everyone admire the pieces through that lens.
“[We] had Coombs talk about how the art relates to space and how we create artificial boundaries through our provinces and territory lines and how some spaces are delegated to some people while others aren’t so that was kind of cool watching people view the artwork while keeping that in mind,” explained Hammond.
Only a few of pieces from their original virtual exhibition were able to be secured, but the intent remained the same; to have equal representation for Indigenous and non-Indigenous art. The entire process shows the value of experiential education both for people leading the project and those able to appreciate the end results.
The exhibit can be viewed in L.R. Wilson up until Oct. 19, when there will be a final reception for the exhibit. People will have the opportunity to hear from the students who put the exhibit together and discuss it with them.
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Karen Piper
The Silhouette
In 1492, Christopher Columbus embarked on a journey to find a new route for British trade ships to sail to India. However, he inadvertently ended up crossing the Atlantic Ocean, all the way to the New World: the Caribbean Islands and the Americas. Columbus was astonished to discover that that these minute islands were already inhabited.
Like Columbus many times in life we set forth on a journey with a specific goal or destination in mind, but some unexpected obstacle may alter our original course, thereby leading us to stumble upon something even more fascinating and worthwhile.
This is exactly what happened to me when I commenced my academic journey. I had everything strategically planned.
I am from the beautiful island of Saint Lucia, which is known as a world-renowned wedding and honeymoon destination. I decided to pursue an associate degree in Travel and Tourism at the island’s community college. Well, I am sure you have heard industry professionals claim that no amount of classroom theory compares to practical training, and they are quite right. After completing two internships at leading five star resorts on the island, I decided that this field was not right for me.
In 2011, through the help of an island scholarship, I began an entirely new educational experience: pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance at the City University of New York (CUNY). Prior to this event, I worked at a bank in Saint Lucia for two years. It was at then I discovered my love for the banking and finance industries. At this point you may be wondering why I am enrolled at McMaster University in 2013.
Along the way, I soon realized that life in New York as a student did not correlate with my personality or lifestyle. Now, before you judge me, let me just say that – like many emblazoned shirts - I love New York. But being a student there means costly travel expenses due to long train rides to and from school, not to mention the burden of finding accommodations as the majority of universities there do not offer campus housing.
My fundamental point here is that life is all about finding out what works best for YOU. After all, it is YOUR life. This is why I made the decision to enroll at McMaster University.
It occurred to me that this is the opportune time to travel and obtain a diverse educational profile. It is true that I struggled to fit into the culture of New York; however, being in such an environment forced me to grow both personally and intellectually. As a result, I am a much better manager of time and money.
At the end of the day, I feel as if I am three people in one: Saint Lucian of course, a former New Yorker and now, up-and-coming Canadian. Moreover, when potential employers recognize that you have studied or lived in multiple countries, they ultimately establish that you are a risk-taker and someone who can adapt swiftly to change, being able to handle uncertainty. A valuable asset.
As young people we need to exploit the advantages that our youth affords us. We should dare to learn of new cultures: music, fashion, art, dance and so forth. It is not always about where you end up, but the experiences and the wealth of knowledge acquired along the way. In addition, during these occurrences, we should also be respectful of cultural diversity and various ethnic traditions. This is how we develop our character and learn from each other. Some of you may be thinking of doing an exchange program in which you attend school in Italy or France or wherever.
Go for it. This occasion will change your outlook on life and expand your comfort zone beyond where you thought possible. We don’t grow when we are comfortable or stagnant. There is an entire globe out there, explore it, cherish it, respect it, and use it to your full advantage. The world is your oyster.
And mine as well.
Samhita Misra
The Silhouette
It was the end of a twelve-hour workday when I sat down on the subway in Toronto, heading home. With a pounding headache and shoulders in desperate need of a massage, I pulled out my phone and began playing with it. Texting wasn’t an option underground, but I thought the message was pretty clear: my people skills were declining by the minute.
The man beside me was muttering. Mental illness, maybe, I thought. Not wanting him to feel like he was being judged, I didn’t look up. My phone’s limited uses grew all the more fascinating.
“Come on, how are you?” he said suddenly, cutting into my thoughts and leaning in.
“Oh! Good, thanks, how are you?” I replied, thinking I could no longer “respectfully” ignore him without being a jerk.
We conversed.
He was a Polish man trying to improve his English, he said, apologizing frequently for bothering me.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I repeated adamantly with each apology.
As we spoke, I thought back to my previous impressions and felt horrible. Here I was, making assumptions about his life when I hate being defined by my own challenges. I struggled to make up for it by smiling warmly.
He kissed my hand and said, “you’re a very nice girl.”
I didn’t know how to take that.
Physical affection is important to me. Tight hugs and kisses on the cheek are a part of my daily life with those who are close to my heart. He was not, but then again, perhaps that was again my fault for being too quick to judge.
I smiled awkwardly, glancing at everyone else on the subway. Dryly, I noted that advertisements and fingernails seemed to be just as interesting to them as my phone had been to me minutes ago. The train was silent.
“Have a boyfriend?” he asked.
“No,” I replied, my compensative smile never wavering.
“No, you must have,” he insisted. “But say hi to Polish man, bye to boyfriend.”
My feminist heart clenched at the implication. It clenched further still when he stood up to leave, gesturing for me to follow him out and knocking on the window behind me to ask me again.
In the days since, I’ve thought about the man on the subway. My first impression may have been accurate: he could have had a mental illness, and far be it for me to judge him for it.
Alternatively, he may, as he said, have been a Polish man in a new country, lonely and looking for affection without understanding proper etiquette. Having known the excruciating pain of loneliness, my heart went out to him.
But what if it was more? What if my feminist heart had not misunderstood his words and gestures?
Friends, family and mentors have given me a couple of tips since then. First, if asked about a boyfriend, always say yes. Second, safety over courtesy: ignore him or get off the train.
The first is a tactic I hope never to use. As for the second, I can’t help but think that kindness is more than merely courtesy.
While boundaries must be respected and safety must be considered, I can’t help but think that in a society of averted glances, clipped answers and hasty exits, a little kindness can save each of us from the stigma and feelings of helplessness that surround our own, individual challenges.
Though many who know me would be shocked to hear this, I must divulge that for the greater part of my life I was extremely shy. Most of my habits from these years have dissolved and disappeared, but there remain a few traces. For one, I loathe speaking to sales staff - I have saved many dollars walking out of stores in order to avoid this interaction. For another, I find it difficult to confront others when I feel uncomfortable for unusual reasons.
This can range from things like sitting at a circular table, where I’d really rather your knee didn’t bump into mine under the table, that’s why I’m getting up for water so often, to things like my friends teasing me about my private life, especially the infamous “love life”, which I would really rather you never bring up. Ever.
Both of those things happen to many people on a daily basis, and objectively, there is nothing really wrong with either of them. The latter can be a way of expressing interest in someone’s life and well-being. The former is a popular eating arrangement. That’s fine. That’s cool. This article isn’t about forbidding friendly chitchat or abolishing circular tables (check back next week).
I’m pretty good at dealing with this somewhat odd, little stuff in my life. I can keep my knees glued together at dinner parties even if it means sore thighs and shaky calves for a few hours the next day. That’s a problem I can solve.
What I can’t solve is that feeling of unease that sits in my stomach the second a friend’s mouth shapes any question or remark regarding my romantic involvements. But it doesn’t really seem fair to tell my friends not to talk to me about that part of my life. They like me (or so they say), and as a result care about how I’m doing. They don’t mean to pry, it’s often just a topic of conversation.
I was lamenting this issue with a good friend of mine, beleaguered by a particularly uncomfortable comment made by someone close to me. As she is wont to do, my friend made an excellent point, illustrated by the following analogy:
“Sam, some people are afraid of frogs. There is no reason for this, as many and most frogs are harmless, but if someone told you, “Yeah, no, please don’t tell me stories about the giant frogs at your cottage,” would you laugh at them or would you respect their wishes?”
Pretty obviously, I would do my best to respect their wishes. I don’t want to make this hypothetical person uncomfortable by haunting them with amphibious imagery. Their request certainly isn’t hurting me, so it’s not really a question of fairness at all. It’s a question of me respecting this person’s boundaries. Their boundaries aren’t stepping all over mine, so I am going to do my best to make sure I’m not stepping all over theirs.
That is totally reasonable and part of being a decent human being. Perhaps I was so used to being able to facilitate my own solutions that anything involving changing the actions of others, even in a totally harmless way, seemed unfair. But my boundaries, so long as they don’t harm others, are just as worth respecting as other people’s.
This seems pretty obvious now, but I guess even my hindsight needs glasses sometimes.
It doesn’t matter if you understand why someone is uncomfortable hearing about frogs, maybe they themselves don’t even understand why they are, it’s just important you understand that they are.
Don’t make fun of people’s froggy fears. We’ve all got some.
