Discovering the Artists of the Dawson Trail

 Celebrating its 150^th Anniversary

To celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the Dawson Trail, an event will be held on the weekend of September 18 and 19 in Richer. Pierrette Sherwood, Chair of the Executive Committee – Dawson Trail Arts and Heritage Tour, comments on this long-term project:

“We have always wanted to enrich the historical perspective of this trail. We want to reach beyond colonial narratives on its role in linking together a new nation to bring you some lesser-known “nuggets” about the coming of the road, and its impact, that foregrounds community knowledge as well as Indigenous and women’s experiences. »

“This community initiative and a committee dedicated to the cause was set up in January 2019.  The research, assisted by Mireille Lamontagne, began in March 2020, following several community consultations and an approach plan for the development of an interpretive trail mounted with the help of our expert consultants at Second Nature Creative Interpretation/Little Bluestem Architect + Design.”

“I am pleased to see that the arts tour will finally see the light of day with this event on the weekend of September 18-19, with a rendez-vous for everyone at the Dawson Trail Museum in Richer!”

Interactive Workshops with the Artists

Originally, the format of the event was supposed to be different from what it will look like this year, but the pandemic forced the committee to adapt the event. Pierrette Sherwood explains: “Initially, we were supposed to have an annual art tour that would allow visitors to travel along Dawson Road to discover the artists and their studios, as well as the collective places showcasing culture and art along the trail.

“But since we weren’t sure how things would evolve, we decided to come up with another format. We are therefore proposing a group exhibit, at the Dawson Trail Museum where visitors will enjoy the works of our artist collective and observe them at work’’.

“Each artist in the group will have their own space to showcase their beautiful works, demonstrate their process and offer their products for sale. They will also be able to offer discussions around what inspires them, their creative process and their creative context.” And the artists will not be the only ones there. “We also invited local musicians,  costumed interpreters and historians”.

Honouring Francophone and Métis Identities

In addition, a large part of the Dawson Trail Art and Heritage Tour project consists of the installation of permanent wayfinding markers as well as art/interpretive installations along the trail. Pierrette Sherwood says: We developed a design that integrates the concept of the Dawson Trail as a “Land and Water Route”, with interpretive content highlighting the Indigenous, Métis and Francophone traditional place names of the historic trail”.

The objective of the commemorative trail is to commemorate and celebrate the unique cultural, historical and natural heritage of the Dawson road. Ultimately, we want these permanent installations to encourage local tourism and economic growth for generations to come.

Where: Dawson Trail Museum – 67 Dawson Road- Richer.

When: Saturday September 18, 2021 from 10 to 4 pm, and Sunday September 19 2021 from 12 am to 4 pm.

Cost : free