My practice has always been about the land and people’s connection to it. Earlier in my practice I was interested in how nature existed in the urban environment, how people expressed themselves in this home, and what the city itself provided for us. In recent years I have been educating myself to the history of this land and its original inhabitants.
In 1906, my paternal ancestors settled in Saskatchewan on land bordering a First Nations Reserve. Discovering this in 2017 had a profound impact on me, as it made colonization personal and tangible. Through owning the identity of ‘Settler’, my recent work demonstrates accepting responsibility for the past and current colonization of the land and working towards fostering discussion with other Settlers. It also provides a pathway for those with some or little knowledge.
As part of my arts practice, I established a Settlers’ Book Club to learn about Canada’s true history and whose land we are living on. It has been running over 3 years now and we have discussed a wide range of Indigenous authors and anti-racism books. Activism is also a part of my practice through the Reconciliation Action Group.
Through this body of works I aim to encourage Settler Canadians to take responsibility, acknowledge our history and work towards becoming accomplices in decolonization. In order to create a more equitable society, we Settlers must show Indigenous, Black, Asian, and other racialized people that we are doing the work to dismantle systems that have oppressed non-white artists and peoples. This project lands in the intersectionality of what can be accomplished through knowledge, justice and dialogue.
Cat Schick 