0:01 Hi I’m Marie Watt and I am in
0:03 Ottawa as a participant in the contemporary conversations series that’s
0:08 being hosted by
0:09 the US Embassy and the National Gallery of Canada.
0:13 I will be participating in
0:16 an symposium at Carleton University with
0:20 intentious scholars and art historians and then
0:24 I’ll also be hosting an open to the community sewing circle
0:27 at the National Gallery of Canada.
0:29 When I host the sewing circles
0:31 I invite people to come they can go at any point
0:35 no sewing experience is necessary people as young as three and as young as
0:40 83 have stitched on
0:42 pieces before. I will exchanges a small silkscreen print
0:46 with people who participate. One of the things that I love about the sewing circles
0:51 it’s an opportunity to share stories. And I don’t think there’s any
0:55 obligation to share stories but when you’re
0:58 head is kinda tuck down and you’re working with something
1:01 as familiar and humble as clothe , I think that story’s just tend to flow.
1:05 I’m interested in how everybody’s stitche
1:09 is unique and kinda like a thumb print or signature.
1:13 Then I’m interested in how in those stitches start to intersect
1:18 they are king of a metaphor for how we’re all connected and related.
1:25 I see that contemporary conversations series
1:29 as a vehicle for talking about art
1:33 and its relevance. Maybe not just in our
1:36 immediately communities but in the world.
1:39 As an indigenous person I think it’s really important to
1:44 share that there is no word for art in
1:47 our language but it is and activity.
1:52 An Activity of being creative and
1:55 inventive.
2:00 With my own work I’m interested in how
2:05 and communities can be part and this conversation and it’s one of the reasons
2:09 why I like to collaborate with
2:11 with people and it helps me learn more
2:14 about other people’s stories and other people’s histories.
2:18 And I guess I consider that vehicle
2:22 for larger conversations
2:25 in the world that are necessarily just specific to art but also relates to
2:29 politics and literature
2:32 and poetry. I think the connections are sorta endless.