This Is Kwantlen

Sites include: Lelem’ Café, Saba Bistro, Village Antique Mall, Wendel’s, Bella & Wren, Marina Gelato, Jelly Marketing, the Fort Gallery, and the Centennial Museum.

This Is Kwantlen is an exciting portrait series initiated by the Langley Fine Arts School Photography and Creative Writing Departments. Twenty-four large-scale black and white portraits and biographies will be displayed around Fort Langley to identify the Kwantlen Nation as an important part of the community. The images are larger than life in size; they are expressive and very impactful. This project is to educate the community and to acknowledge the Kwantlen Nation in their unceded territory of Fort Langley.

Langley Fine Arts School Photography and Writing students recently worked with members of the Kwantlen community to learn about their heritage and culture with a focus from Kwantlen peoples’ perspectives. Many of the students are also enrolled in BC First Nations courses as an aspect of Humanities and emerging British Columbia curriculum, these students gain a deeper understanding of indigenous history, arts, modern perspectives, and what it is to be indigenous in Canada today.

During April and May of 2019, This Is Kwantlen will be exhibited in public spaces around Fort Langley on the outer wall of the Fort Langley historic site and on exteriors of buildings around the village.

The project is sponsored by Hemlock Press, Beau Photo, Lelem’ Café, Saba Bistro, Village Antique Mall, Wendel’s, Bella & Wren, Marina Gelato, Jelly Marketing.

This Is Kwantlen was created in partnership between the Langley Fine Arts School and the Kwantlen First Nation community, to whom the school provides a special thanks.