Boozhoo! Aaniin. My name is Carly Anna Billings and I am a multi-disciplinary artist born and based on the traditional lands of my people the Mississaugas of the Credit. A crafter by nature, my first beadwork collection (presented at both Hamilton Visual Fringe and The Westdale Lobby in 2023) was a way to push myself out of my comfort zone, to explore my artistic identities outside of performance and in turn challenge my own colonial biases.
This graphic, honouring the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at The Westdale in 2026 includes local and larger elements that speak to the importance of the ongoing engagement of Truth and Reconciliation. It is a depiction of my ideal hometown and what realized reconciliation can feel like, all held within the frames of a film reel. There are representations of the land (like our iconic local waterfalls), an eagle feather, the word truth in Anishinaabemowin (the language of my people for all to see), generations of a family and a depiction of our relations (like doves, a forest, the heartberry) including 9 and 4 straight lines representing the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of which only 14 have been fulfilled by 2026. It features the colour orange to honour Residential School Survivor Phyllis Webstad and all our children who returned, did not, or are still on the journey home.
Thank you to The Westdale, a pillar in our community for nearly 100 years, for sharing Indigenous stories, engaging Indigenous artists and carrying on important conversations with open ears and open hearts.