Black Prairies celebrates over a century of Black and African-Canadian cultural contributions within the Prairie provinces, spanning from the Nineteen Twenties to the current, with a particular emphasis on lens-based media. The exhibition includes a mix of newly commissioned up to date artworks, in addition to archival items together with unique glass plate negatives by early Twentieth-century Black Manitoban photographer William “Billy” Beal and pictures from the Metropolis of Edmonton’s Frank B. Jamerson fonds.
Beal’s glass plate negatives, captured between 1915 and 1925, present a uncommon glimpse into homesteading life in rural western Manitoba from the angle of a Black man residing in an all-white township. His work presents a singular narrative of resilience and day by day life throughout a time of racial isolation. Alongside Beal’s work, the exhibition showcases images from the Frank B. Jamerson fonds, which, although created by unnamed photographers, depict the on a regular basis lives of Black residents round Amber Valley, Alberta—a group based in the course of the Nice Black Migration of 1910. This migration noticed African People escaping racial violence within the U.S. and settling within the Canadian Prairies seeking security and alternative. The chosen photos mirror the primary three many years of Black settlement within the area, providing a visible document of the experiences of the primary wave of Black migrants in Canada.
Along with these historic images, BLACK PRAIRIES additionally consists of the newly created quick movie For Caesar by filmmaker Cheryl Foggo. The movie tells the story of Leander Lane, the great-grandson of Julius Caesar Lane, one of many founding members of the Shiloh Individuals, a historic African-Canadian group in Saskatchewan.
The exhibition supplies a platform for reflection on the continued and evolving narrative of Black life and cultural manufacturing within the Prairies, fostering conversations about private histories, environmental adjustments, and shared experiences within the area. BLACK PRAIRIES is a strong testomony to the enduring legacy of Black communities in Western Canada.
This exhibition runs February 1 – Could 14, 2025, at Dunlop Artwork Gallery
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