Ryerson’s reconciliation starts with a Ring
New sculpture, years in the making, is a paean to Indigenous communities
Ryerson University has a new public art piece on campus honouring the Dish With One Spoon Territory it sits on — a move one elder says is a positive step in the institution’s commitment to reconciling with Indigenous communities.
On Wednesday, the university unveiled a new monument on its campus near the busy intersection of Gould Street and Nelson Mandela Walk. Casually dubbed the “Ring,” the monument is a three-metre tall metal band designed by Indigenousowned and operated firm Two Row Architect.
The university has been on a path to reconcile with Indigenous communities recently, in the form of renaming itself and choosing not to restore or replace the statue of Egerton Ryerson that was toppled down by protesters.
Joanne Dallaire, elder and senior adviser on Indigenous relations and reconciliation at the university, said that healing from the damage that colonial constructs have left on Indigenous people is personal and will look different for everyone. Still, Dallaire thinks that the efforts the university is making are a step in the right direction.
“It makes a statement that Ryerson is very committed, now and into the future, because it’s a significant piece of art to recognize, respect, and continue to reconcile with Indigenous communities,” Dallaire said.
It took over two years for the monument to come to fruition. Dallaire is a co-chair at Ryerson’s Truth and Reconciliation Strategic Working Group, which led community workshops and worked with the architects, “making sure that we got it done in the right way, in a good way,” Dallaire said.
Two Row Architect worked alongside the group to create a physical rendition of a “Land Acknowledgement,” said the firm’s Matthew Hickey, a Mohawk architect belonging to the Six Nations First Nation.
Collaborating with Indigenous community members was a crucial part of bringing the monument to life and making sure that it sends a message that would resonate with all Indigenous people, regardless of their backgrounds, both Hickey and Dallaire said.
“In my eyes, the Indigenous community at the university designed this monument, (Two Row Architect) was just the conduit by which they brought their collections of ideas into focus,” said Hickey. “The outcome of the work is for everyone, it is intended to have presence, be welcoming, be universal and inclusive in its form and its details. It welcomes everyone to learn and be a part of the larger circle of life.”
Every detail of the Ring was intentional: Its shape is a nod to how prominent circles are in numerous Indigenous practices, such as how meetings are formed in circles so that all voices are coming from equal positions. The Ring is also made of Corten weathering steel, which is intended to adapt to its environment over time.
The Ring is embellished with perforations that form the animal symbols representing each of the Seven Grandparent teachings: Humility, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Truth, Respect and Love. These principles are adapted by several Indigenous communities to help guide people through life.
“We can take these seven teachings and transform them into anything that we’re working on because the teachings are singular in their word and multiple meanings can be applied to them,” Dallaire said.
For the time being, the monument won’t include a plaque explaining the specificities of the Ring — Dallaire wants people to form their own experiences and understandings of it when they observe the monument themselves.
But if there’s one thing that Dallaire wants every person to get from the Ring, it’s the importance of conversations about the past, present and future of Indigenous relations in Canada.
“I hope that when people look at it and experience it and touch it, that they’ll understand a little bit better some of the history that has been silenced, left out of the history books, not convenient to be told — that it’ll provoke conversation,” Dallaire said.
The Ring is the first instalment of multiple public art pieces that the university will construct throughout 2021.
The monument’s unveiling coincides with the university’s Indigenous education week that began on Monday and will run until Saturday. Festivities include a livestream of a prefilmed Pow Wow on Friday and an in-person celebration on Saturday where people can go on educational walks and shop from Indigenous vendors.
“It makes a statement that Ryerson is very committed … because it’s a significant piece of art to recognize, respect, and continue to reconcile with Indigenous communities.”
JOANNE DALLAIRE
SENIOR ADVISER ON INDIGENOUS RELATIONS AND RECONCILIATION