Adrian Huysman

Adrian shares how his memory of a climbing trip to Mount Athabasca in Jasper National Park in 2018 was brought to new understandings through learning the history of the Park and the colonial forces that shaped its formation. By partnering with the Metis Nation of Alberta and using art to reflect on how place shapes identity, Adrian reflects on his position as an outsider in relation to Métis history. By merging images of fur trade history with the modern use of the Park, art facilitated the re-imaging and re-picturing of the landscape and highlighted how the land connects us through time. Ethically creating this art meant seeking a formal collaboration with the Métis to ensure an authentic understanding of Métis history and ways of knowing using a strength-based approach.