Public Art Award for "Sipikiskisiw (Remembers Far Back)"

On October 3, 2024, the Edmonton Arts Council accepted a Public Art Sustainability Award from the Creative City Network of Canada, for the artwork Sipikiskisiw (Remembers Far Back), by artist Michelle Sound, at the Telus Transit Shelter in downtown Edmonton. The Public Art Sustainability Award recognizes a Canadian municipality that demonstrated visionary leadership by supporting an excellent program and process that led to a successful public art project or program.

Sipikiskisiw (Remembers Far Back) features images, documenting Indigenous relation to the land in Amiskwaciwâskahikan, of an Indian Affairs Papaschase reserve survey map from 1899 and a photograph taken before 1907 of Indigenous men and tipis on the grounds of Fort Edmonton. Using embroidery thread, caribou tufting, porcupine quills, and beadwork; the images are ripped and stitched back together again. According to Sound the rips ​“show the colonial violence that Indigenous people have experienced, including residential school intergenerational trauma, loss of language, and displacement from our territories.” 

From the Creative City Network: ​“Jurors praised the project for its powerful use of materials and thoughtful integration of archival data, emphasizing its role in fostering dialogue about place, identity, and history. Jurors also found the use of gender-based analysis within the planning phase of this piece to be a particularly innovative approach to ensure relevance and accessibility. Sipikiskisiw’ stands as a testament to sustainable public art that honors the land and its stories.”

Learn more about the artwork and artist Michelle Sound on the EAC website.