O,P — Redwork: The Emperor of Atlantis

Natalie Olanick

“(This image) has the innocence of childhood yet the presence of an adult who would change the emotions to struggle rather than fun. The image is complex.”

Niamh O’Laoghaire

“This image is important to expose the reality behind ideological phrases like “war on terror.” And to remember that throughout history, legitimate governments have been the greatest perpetrators of terror.

I am also interested in how the image in this context could evoke the Spanish Inquisition - another historic image of state/religious terror.”

Kelly O'Neill

“As a Canadain with settler heritage, I chose this image inorder to examine my own uncomfortable position within the Iindigenous/settler relationship. The setting of the residential school system makes me examine the contrast with my own education and also face the false information and ignorance that that education engendered. While I, as a young student, was being taught that indigionous cultures were a part of the distant past, young indigenous students were being abused on all levels and robbed of their culture, language, and families. I chose this particular image of young female students as it relates to imagery that comes up in my artwork, that of the young girl and this peter pan collared dress. In my own work I look to the object of this dress as an imposition of identity and values; worn here, by this group of female students at a residential school, the idea of this garment as imposition takes on new levels of meaning. I write this speaking from my own position with an aim to not speak for, or over, anyone else. Through the meditation of stitching this imagery I hope to open myself to, and sit with, what comes up as I face my part in our horrific history and find ways to move forward in recognition and in relationship.”

Susan O'Riordan

“The shoe connects me to my wonderful maternal grandmother who suffered with bunions. Shoes are such everyday objects but so important and often taken for granted. Shoemaking is a disappearing art/craft and yet shoe repair work is environmentally important. The shoe is also an image common to the WWII concentration camps and a symbol of the many lives lost.It reminds me to always walk in another’s shoes to learn, connect and grow.”

Susan O'Riordan

“The oak tree I have always loved for its beauty, its slow growth and endurance. As a keystone species, it plays a critical role in our ecosystem. It cleans the air, provides shade from the sun, shelters and sustains many small animals.Its fallen leaves and acorns are wonderful for creating inks and ecoprinted images on textiles and papers.The tiny acorns, if given the opportunity, grow slowly into mature trees which outlast one lifetime to give pleasure and sustenance to many generations going forward - an image I love.”

Sherry Park

Pam Patterson

Emmy Pantin

“(I choose this pattern because) I love Star and I love the image.”

Erin Link Petersen

“As a woman and political science graduate it is important to me to remember that we need to continue to make changes in our own communities while we strive to help others abroad.”

Tracey Polidoro

Noémie Pomerleau-Cloutier

“I have a great respect for First People, for their knowledge, for their many cultures. What they have endured in residential schools and through colonialism is heart breaking. I personally worked with the Innu nation on the Lower North Shore for a poetry project and this political embroidery would be a kind of tribute to their resilience. To me, it is a way of manifesting allyship.”

Janet Potter

“For many years I worked as a Social Worker for Children's Aid Society and Social Services in Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto (took early retirement and went to Art School in Toronto and now a Professional Mixed Media Artist). This particular photo shows so much pain and abuse in these children........their eyes and fascial expressions gives the viewer so much longing and sadness.”

Margaret Pottinger

“I remember this war and the television coverage, which was unprecedented,bringing this conflict into the sitting rooms of the world, and especially, USA.”

Margaret Pottinger

“I remember this life changing event as though it were yesterday.: the brilliant blue Manhattan sky followed by the the burst of ignited aviation fuel.”