“Where will the Frogs Sing?” was a 2022/23 collaboration between myself and photographer Vera Saltzman.
When we imagine the Canadian prairies, we often see a quilt of farm fields in our mind’s eye. What Vera and I were interested in, was not the agricultural fields, but rather, the places in between – the wetlands, ditches, road allowances, pastures, shelterbelts, and other small remnants of land that had not been plowed up. Vera and I both live in what is called the “aspen parkland”. Together, we explored small remnants of land near our homes. We considered both their beauty and their rapid destruction to make more space for agriculture, homes and buildings.
As we spent time on the land, we asked ourselves:
- What is my relationship to the land?
- What does society value?
- Why do these small remnants of land matter?
Our creative responses included a blog, a series of zines and our participation in a group show at the Art Gallery of Regina entitled “The View from the Edge of the World” in 2023. Our collaboration was supported by SKArts. A video tour of our installation is available here.
Where will the Frogs Sing, Installation at Art Gallery of Regina, 2023. Photo by Don Hall
Two parts of our installation allowed me to explore my own particular relationship to our farm and the land surrounding it.
Land in a Box
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- Cover of Land in a Box
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- Our Farm – 2022
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- Our Farm – 1946
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- Same area – as imagined before colonization
Using aerial photos and with help from my husband, I was able to explore the changes on the four quarters (each 160 acres) on our farm over time. To learn more about Land in a Box, click here.
The Buffalo Canvas
I carved and printed lino prints of a small buffalo herd on a piece of old canvas. Over time, I cut many of the buffalo out as a way of representing the slaughter of the buffalo. Vera and I both photographed the canvas in various locations as it changed. To read more about the buffalo canvas, click here.