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A safe space for patients and families, celebrated as artwork was unveiled on April 25
Interior Health and the Cariboo Memorial Hospital unveiled some new artwork at the facility by Secwepmc artist Autumn Christopher.
The art fills the windows of a sacred space in the ground floor of the Deni House building, directly across from the main hospital building. It is a place where people can go to have a quiet, safe place at the facility.
Christopher is a 25-year-old artist who was born and raised in Kamloops but is a member of the Canim Lake Band, and it was a connection through Irvine Johnson of Esk’et which helped him get the job of creating the art for the sacred space.
“It was a fluke,” said Christopher. He was at a language conference and while Johnson was speaking, Christopher had sketched him. Johnson happened to see the sketch and others Christopher had done while he was there, and he wanted to hire Christopher on the spot.
Jacqueline Mattice, Indigenous patient navigator for Interior Health, was organizing the project, with only six months to get it done, she said it was “a crunch.”
But she worked with elders to design the art and Irvine Johnson’t photos were the basis for some of it, which they then worked with Christopher on.
“Everything just seemed to fall into place,” said Mattice.
Christopher, a graduate of the Thompson Rivers University Bachelor of Fine Arts, a since discontinued program, used a tablet to create the pieces, which were then scaled up and printed to go on the windows.
“I like seeing it in person way better than on a computer,” he said of the finished work.
Heather Hair, director of clinical operations at Cariboo Memorial Hospital for Interior Health, said she has been going to the room and it allows her to take a sense of peace with her back to her work.
“We are so grateful, this is just a beautiful room,” she said.
Songs and drumming filled the space, along with the more than 30 people who came out to attend the ceremony, and gifts were given to thank Christopher and Mattice for their work in creating the space.
“It’s about building relationships,” said Williams Lake First Nation Kukpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars, noting creating safe, welcoming spaces for Indigenous people in institutions is a sign of progress towards reconciliation.
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