MSP Terminal 2, Gallery H10
February 1, 2022 - February 1, 2023
This exhibit is a sampling of 1,200 clay hearts that make up the full Heart Spirits project. Each heart is handmade in honor of an Indigenous woman or girl missing or murdered, and the collection serves as a treasured remembrance for their families and all of us, to hold them in their hearts and our hopes.
Saskatchewan-based artist Cheryl Ring invited her community of Prince Albert to come together in a workshop setting to create clay hearts, each to be named for a missing or murdered indigenous woman or girl as a tribute to their families.
During these workshops, the community members shared stories and memories, weaving meaning and understanding into the clay hearts as they were molded. Through this process, the hearts were filled with love, dedication, commitment, and hope for the future.
Cheryl said she chose to create 1,200 hearts as a call to action following a deeply emotional news report published in 2014 of nearly 1,200 women and girls that were murdered or went missing. That same news report led to the Canadian Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) National Inquiry, which held hearings for testimonials across the country.
“I was frustrated with the turmoil that the MMIWG National Inquiry faced. During the barrage of news stories at the outset, I was struck by constant references to the MMIW and realized that, as an average Canadian, I was not paying enough attention to the fact that hundreds of missing or murdered women and girls were being reduced to an acronym,” the artist claimed. “Heart Spirits aims to release the names of those missing and murdered of their acronym.”
“What I know for sure is that missing and murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is a human issue, and one we all have to care about,” Cheryl said. “This project is a gentle reminder to all women that they matter. It is a reason for women and girls to be encouraged that equality awaits them. And it is a whisper to others to listen intuitively to the voices of our lost sisters, and to help them with their pain, and to commit to moving forward with strength and wisdom.”
