Butterflies, bees, birds and other creatures will soon have a new place to graze at 新澳门六合彩开奖 with the addition of a pollinator garden to the campus landscape, an attraction that should also serve as an appealing destination for human visitors.
The green space, located on the north side of the Henry Hicks Building on Studley Campus, was produced by the 新澳门六合彩开奖 Art Gallery (DAG) in collaboration with members of the Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC) as a tribute to the late Mike MacDonald 鈥� a queer Mi'kmaq artist who was known for his butterfly garden creations.
Designed by guest curator Frances Dorsey, in consultation with Mi鈥檏maq artist and scholar Michelle Syllliboy, the garden centres around an ancient Mi鈥檏maq glyph (a symbol or readable character) that means 鈥淟isten to us.鈥�
A small ground-breaking ceremony (adhering to current COVID-19 safety guidelines) was held at the installation site last Wednesday.
Dorsey made the first cut in the garden, receiving assistance from Theresa Rajack-Talley, Dal鈥檚 vice-provost of equity and inclusion, and Catherine Martin, Dal鈥檚 director of Indigenous Community Engagement, in planting a yarrow 鈥� a hardy flowering perennial.
Above, left to right, Martin, Dorsey and Rajack-Talley prepare the yarrow for planting.
A tribute
Martin also led a smudging at the site and shared a song as part of the event.
While mostly celebratory in spirit, the ceremony also honoured the 215 children found in unmarked burial sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia in late May.
"I need to sing. That will bring all those who are supposed to be with us together, especially the children that have led us to find them in B.C. and all the other children. I'm thin