Walking Together, Building Connections

The Abbotsford School District was the recipient, this week, of two art pieces entitled, “Walking Together, Building Connections.” Designed by local artist Linda Klippenstein, this cut-paper project celebrated community diversity and was created by a combined group, 75 women in all, of locally resident Abbotsford women and newcomer women. They gathered over a series of ten informal, inclusion-focused, art-making sessions at The Reach Gallery Museum, Archway Community Services, and W.J.Mouat Secondary.

The Abbotsford branch of the University Women’s Club, in conjunction with The Reach Gallery and Museum, applied for a Canadian Federation of Creative Arts Award 2019, and Linda Klippenstein was the recipient. The award was “to promote interest and involvement in the creative arts by engaging audiences and inspiring discussion.”

“There are several organizations interested in having the pieces for their locations, but I feel that SBO would be a perfect place for them," said Kanta Naik. "The entrance foyer of our district is where a cross section of our families engage with us. The pictures represent diversity, inclusion, collaboration, equity and, of course, the value of art in society. It would be wonderful for all our families (both local and foreign-born) to see themselves represented as they come to the district.”

The artist contacted Kanta Naik to join her in bringing together women from our newcomer families and Canadian-born women here in Abbotsford, to work together. The project focused on getting women to dialogue with each other as they worked on the pieces. Participants included inter-generational newcomer women, Canadian-born residents and students. The conversations among the women were rich with stories and experiences that each had, and it was a wonderful opportunity to listen to our local ladies ask the newcomers questions about their culture, lives, families, schools and settlement in Abbotsford. Also heartwarming were the reciprocal efforts newcomers made to reach out to local women and try to explain their heritages and seek to learn more about life in Abbotsford. Great connections were made.

“Through Linda Klippenstein’s guidance, the project unlocked art’s enormous potential to build relationships. Linda’s practice emphasized the relational and discursive aspects of the creative process by bringing individuals together in collaborative acts of making.” Laura Schnieder, at The Reach.