Memories in Stone: Confronting Colonial Monuments

add to outlook add to google calendar remind me

Thursday, February 20th, 2020
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM

The City Talks is a free public dialogue about different themes on the possibilities and challenges of cities. This Spring 2020 series is themed changing memoryscapes in the city. This upcoming City Talks features Nadine Nakagawa a community organizer, local activist, and City Councillor in New Westminster. She has worked on issues relating to housing, public spaces, reconciliation, public engagement, and childcare. For her work in the community, Nadine was named the 2017 Citizen of the Year at the Chamber of Commerce Platinum Awards. She runs a consulting service called Ablaze and holds a Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Royal Roads University.

In May of 2019, the New Westminster City Council voted to remove the statue of Judge Matthew Baillie Begbie that stood in front of the provincial courthouse. This action was prompted by a call from the Tsilhqot’in National Government and echoed actions taken by the Law Society and UVic Law School. The removal prompted significant media attention which resulted in a backlash around the province. The Begbie statue is part of a larger public discourse on the role of colonial monuments in public spaces and how they not only reflect our shared history, but also suggest continued colonial control of future narratives. Across the globe, artists and activists are confronting colonial monuments with a variety of interventions meant to highlight their contested historical narratives. Allowing for transformation and recontextualization provides an opportunity both to decolonize public spaces and to have a multi-perspective understanding of shared histories. Join the City Talks at the Legacy Art Gallery on February 20th for this exciting event doors open at 7:00 pm and the event commences at 7:30 pm.