Hope and Healing Canada: A Journey Towards Decolonization and Reconciliation

Métis artist Tracey-Mae Chambers brings her national project, Hope and Healing Canada, to the historic Leighton Art Centre. Since 2021, Chambers has created over 150 temporary, site-responsive installations at museums, galleries, and historic sites across North America.  Using meticulously crafted crochet, knit, and woven red yarns, Chambers will temporarily transform the Centre’s striking natural landscape and historic architecture into a vibrant space for reflection.

The color red is deeply symbolic—representing blood, courage, passion, and love, while reclaiming a word historically used as a slur against Indigenous peoples. The red string physically and metaphorically illustrates the fragile yet resilient connections between Indigenous, Inuit, and Métis peoples and settlers, as well as our relationship to the environment. 

Situated in the breathtaking Alberta foothills on Treaty 7 territory, this installation challenges viewers to engage in vital conversations about the decolonization of public spaces. By placing her work at a site deeply rooted in local history, Chambers asks: How do we heal together, and who holds the power to tell the stories of this land? 

True to the project’s sustainable nature, the installation will be dismantled after its run. The pieces will be returned to the artist to be repurposed at her next site, continuing its ongoing journey of storytelling and reconciliation. 

Please join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, August 29, 2026 from 1 to 4 pm, with artist remarks at 2 pm.