Canadian Library art exhibit focuses on Indigenous women and children

In its new exhibit, the Canadian Library will draw reader's focus to the book cover and its story. (SUBMITTED NEWMARKET PUBLIC LIBRARY)

The Indigenous books and their covers will tell the stories.

The Canadian Library is an art installation featuring books wrapped in Indigenous-designed fabric focusing on missing and murdered Indigenous women and children.

The launch of the project is being held at the Newmarket Public Library Sept. 28, 2022.

"It's important to see the gravity of how people are grieving for their family members," said Tracy Munusami, CEO of the Newmarket Library.

The Canadian Library exhibit, which features books wrapped in colourful Indigenous-inspired fabric, will have the name of a missing woman or child etched on the spine of the book cover. This will help readers learn the names and stories of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and children by reading about them in the database provided.

The art exhibit will cross the country in honour of missing and murdered Indigenous women and children.

The stories of the people represented in the exhibit will be on the Canadian Library's website.

The goal is to continue to cover enough books over time to represent the lives of all those lost to fill bookshelves across Canada in libraries, museums and participating businesses.

Munusami said Canadian Library hopes to cover 8,000 books in Indigenous fabric as a testament to the lives lost.

"We are hoping to wrap 300 books in Newmarket by next June," she said.