“In Kent Monkman’s The Scream, the horrors of residential schools are emphasized as children are aggressively ripped from their families. As a Métis artist, this inspired me to reflect on the cultural genocide against Indigenous people through my art. Residential schools were government-sponsored schools run by churches in order to assimilate Indigenous children by stripping them of their culture, language, and identity. In my painting on the left titled Ammaakulutché (meaning “reconciliation” in the Crow language), I painted Lakisha Flores (an Indigenous Crow model) wearing her regalia that has been collected and gifted to her. The regalia can be seen as a symbol of the resilience of Indigenous culture and history throughout the horrors of colonialism and a symbol of reclaiming tradition. Said horrors are represented on the right through my painting Ihkulusshíia (meaning “erasure” in the Crow language) of a girl in residential school.”

–Amelia Picard (Grade 11, De La Salle Public High School, Ottawa, Ontario)

The Scream, 2017, was included in Kent Monkman’s (b.1965) landmark exhibition, Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience, at the Art Museum of the University of Toronto. Dedicated to his paternal grandmother, the exhibition shone a light on Canada’s mistreatment of Indigenous peoples. Reference photo of Ammaakulutché by Chris Douglas.