The Medicines We Carry - Art Exhibit

As part of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, attend a walking tour of The Medicines We Carry, a photography art exhibit by Indigenous artist and King's graduate, Bangishimo '15. Each panel will have a description to help you learn more about the image you are looking at.

The Medicines We Carry features intimate portraits of community members interwoven with connections to seven medicines: birchbark, cedar, sage, strawberries, sweetgrass, sunflowers, and tobacco. Through these portraits, Bangishimo disrupts colonial lineages, inscribing Black and Indigenous futurities into public memory, and emphasizing relationships to the land. The exhibit flows throughout the library and can be viewed during library operating hours from September 30 - October 4.

Library hours: Monday – Thursday – 8 am – 10 pm. Friday – 8 am – 6 pm. 

About the Artist:

Bangishimo (They/Them) is an IndigiQueer Anishinaabe originally from Couchiching First Nation located on Treaty #3 territory. They currently reside in so-called Kitchener located along the Grand River. Bangishimo is a community organizer, educator, and advocate. Their focus is creating space for communities to come together allowing for Black, Indigenous and racialized voices to be heard. They are currently one of the co-founders of O:se Kenhionhata:tie also known as Land Back Camp. Their advocacy and photography have allowed them to visit over sixteen countries, taking photos and sharing the stories of those they meet along the way. Bangishimo's work has been featured in numerous publications and has had their work on display throughout Waterloo Region. Bangishimo won the Briarpatch Writing in the Margins Contest - Photography Category (2020), was voted Best Photographer (2021, 2023) and Best Community Leader (2023) in the Community Edition and was the City of Kitchener’s first Indigenous Artist-in-Residence (2022-23).