Remember the Children Art Installation
Algonquin College recently unveiled a permanent monument to honour and remember the children who
never returned home, and the survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.
Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
The College, along with the Office of Truth and Reconciliation, decided to remember the children by commissioning a piece of art, a permanent reminder to remain on display in Ishkodewan. It will serve as a gathering place for reflection and spark conversation in learning more about this disturbing part of our history.
Local metal artist Barry Ranger created a metal sculpture that captures many traditional Indigenous elements, including nurturing plants like corn, beans, squash and the spiritual and healing plant of tobacco, interwoven together with empty children’s moccasins, to remind us of the children who were failed by the residential school system. It is a stark reminder of the children who never made it home from those schools and those who still live with that tragic legacy.