MMIWG art exhibit aims to educate people about impact on families, communities

Amy Paul says her sister's disappearance in December has been devastating for their entire community.

Erin Brooks was last seen Dec. 27 in the Wolastoqey community of Sitansisk, St. Mary's First Nation, near Fredericton wearing blue jeans, a black jacket and black boots. 

"You watch the news and you feel for the families but you think like that can't happen here," said Paul. 

"But it does and it happens every day, but you don't realize it until it happens so close to home or in your family." 

Paul said their mother tries their best to hold it all together but calls her up to just cry sometimes. Paul said she's focused all of her energy on trying to locate her sister, but once she's found she'll process her emotions. 

"You don't realize the toll that it takes on the family but I think that it needs to be brought to light," she said.

Paul said she hopes an upcoming art exhibit in her community can do just that for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG). 

The exhibit's curator, Mason Paul, another Sitansisk community member, says "I really wanted to educate people on this." 

Mason Paul is a professional photographer and has three photo series in the exhibit that runs Friday and Saturday. The first is called Rooted and will feature Indigenous women in regalia to show their strength in culture. Another will feature women in red handprints a prominent MMIWG symbol. The third will be the largest and will feature Indigenous women on the land. 

Mason Paul said his prints will be sold at a silent auction with 50 per cent of the proceeds going to the Gignoo Transition House, a local organization to help vulnerable Indigenous women. Sixty-four per cent of Indigenous women in Atlantic Canada reported experiencing physical or sexual assault since the age of 15, according to a Statistics Canada report from April.

Mi'kmaw artist Brandy Googoo will display a beaded heart artwork in the exhibit. She said she spent 120 hours working on the piece because she wanted to raise awareness of the violence women face. 

"I've seen a lot; I've lived through a lot and I've helped my friends and family through a lot of experiences," said Googoo.

Googoo said her father was a Sixities Scoop survivor and they grew up off reserve. Being a brown-skinned family led them to face racism and physical violence, she said, and the artwork is a reflection of that pain. 

The heart in the piece represents Indigenous women as the heartbeat of their nations, the purple eye represents domestic violence and the red handprint symbolizes the continued silencing of Indigenous women.

"We can take our traumas and turn our traumas into beautiful artwork," said Googoo.

Fredericton Police said in an emailed statement that they continue to investigate the disappearance of Erin Brooks.

"We have issued several requests for public assistance and continue to follow up on all tips received from the public," the statement said.

Anyone with information can contact Fredericton Police at 460-2300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. There is a $65,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of Erin Brooks's location.