Picking Up The Pieces: Residential School Memories and the Making of the Witness Blanket

 Picking Up the Pieces: Residential School Memories and the Making of the Witness Blanket

Through impactful interviews, and profound photographs, Newman & Hudson connect with survivors and bear witness to residential school legacy. An accomplished artist, Newman has created “The Witness Blanket”. This metaphorical blanket is a collection of over 800 objects which have been taken from every residential school across Canada and constructed into an exhibit. In the resource "Picking Up The Pieces", Newman documents the journey of creating this piece and then sharing it across Canada to be displayed as a means for everyone to “bear witness” to the truth. In doing this, they are valuable contributors to examining ways to move forward in Truth and Reconciliation. Newman and his team also incorporate interviews with survivors which are both heartwarming and heartbreaking. There is also a link to the full-length documentary about the creation of this project below.

This is an exceptional resource for teachers as personal learning to learn about the residential school legacy and could also be used in a secondary school classroom. See additional links below:

Links:

The Witness Blanket trailer: https://vimeo.com/132158736

The Witness Blanket: https://vimeo.com/457804808

The Making of the Witness Blanket: https://ckua.com/watch/witness-blanket/