Students of Aden Bowman and Rebecca La Marre

Broadway

Aug 23

The project is a collaboration between Senator Nora Cummings, artist-in-residence Rebecca La Marre, the students of Aden Bowman Collegiate.

Rebecca La Marre is a queer, Canadian artist who stages experiments to research how words impact bodies. She uses clay and text to give form to questions, like what it means to be a person in the world and how ideological structures, language, and ritual shape experience.

“Meetshotawn/Miitshotaan!”

Working with Senator Nora Cummings and artist-in-residence Rebecca La Marre, student artists of Aden Bowman Collegiate have created an installation using ceramic bowls imprinted with plants grown on and around the school grounds. This work reflects on the site’s history as a former community garden belonging to the Michif of La Prayrii Rond who were forcibly displaced during the development of Saskatoon’s Queen Elizabeth neighbourhood.

Inspired by Senator Cummings’ childhood memories and stories of the garden and community life, the students envisioned the installation as community feast: a table overflowing with cloth, bowls, and ceramic forms that spill onto the ground. Connecting the bowls are tendrils of light, resembling roots evocative of the garden that once grew on the site of Aden Bowman Collegiate. The roots, symbolic of kinship connection, are both visible and obscured.

This showcase stands as a tribute to the land’s layered histories, the depth of student learning, and the ongoing commitment to acknowledging our shared past—honoring it through education, remembrance, and community engagement. It calls upon educators and community members to engage with historical truths that have long been marginalized, fostering meaningful reflection and collective responsibility. The title “Meetshotawn/Miitshotaan!” meaning “Let’s Eat!” references a hospitable gesture by Michif as a way of offering their very best to community. Accompanying the artwork is a hearty soup of seasonal vegetables offered to the public as they engage in the installation.

This project was made possible by the generous support of SKArts, SIGA, and Saskatoon Public School Division’s First Nations, Métis/Michif, and Inuit Education Unit. We are especially grateful to Senator Nora Cummings (Koohkoom Nora to the students) for sharing her stories with us. A special thanks to student artists Kaitlyn Boutin, Finn Grasby, Janaya Hnatiuk, Kylin Lavallee-Ross and Faith Rysavy; teachers Josiah Chamberlin, Naila Chaudhry, Cindy Johnson, Jessica Morgun, Jessica Petrie, Suzy Schwanke, Laura Swerhone and Principal Ryan Brimacomb and Counselor Denise Drake; the Collective Voice students, FLS Program students, EAL students, Aden Bowman Art Club, and the many student artwork creators, installers, and volunteers.