Members of the media are invited to an event with the curators and organizers of Rooted: How Trees Give Us Life that will be on display at the Galt this summer. The event will be on Friday, May 27, 2022 at 11:00 AM in Discovery Hall at the Galt Museum & Archives at 502 1 Street S, Lethbridge, AB. Refreshments will be provided.

Lethbridge—The Galt is pleased to announce an exciting and interactive new temporary exhibition for residents and visitors to southwestern Alberta entitled Rooted: How Trees Give Us Life.

The exhibition explores the tangible and intangible benefits trees provide us on a daily basis. While trees surround us in neighbourhoods and parks, we often see them as abstract objects, rather than as the living, breathing, vital organisms that they are.

Most importantly, this exhibit brings together Indigenous and Western scientific perspectives. “We have drawn upon many voices within southern Alberta, each sharing different perspectives on why trees have been so important to human existence,” says Tyler Stewart, curator for the Galt Museum & Archives. “Whether it’s Indigenous Elders, arborists, tradespeople, scientists or artisans—all of our lives have been impacted by trees in really profound ways.”

By integrating a variety of stories to explore the history of trees in southwestern Alberta, including Niitsitapi knowledge about different species of trees, visitors will learn about their traditional uses and their ongoing contemporary importance.

“Everything is connected in Indigenous science and perspective,” explains Piikani Elder and environmental consultant Harley Bastien, a crucial contributor to the exhibition. “I’m hoping more and more, I don’t mean just Native people, but all people, start becoming more aware of this fact.”

From our only natural species—the mighty cottonwood—to trees brought and planted by settlers like the ash and elm trees commonly found in local neighbourhoods, the story of trees helps us understand the history of our region. “Without trees there would be no life as we know it,” says Bastien. “They’ve got deep knowledge—they’ve witnessed the world over time.”

Once the exhibit is open to the public on May 28, visitors to the Galt will be able to engage with knowledge and stories from over a dozen community members from all walks of life, as well as interactive activities for all ages. Local artist April Matisz has created a series of large-scale mural paintings for the exhibition as well, which create a dynamic and vibrant visitor experience within the exhibition. Matisz is interested in the way painting can serve as a different path to knowledge, one that is more about what it is like to be in and with the world. “These murals are an accessible way for people to experience the wonder of trees and that way we are entangled with them,” Matisz explains.

Thanks to a generous donation by Windsor Plywood Lethbridge, the exhibition will also feature a treehouse and climbing wall that will be sure to entertain youthful visitors and evoke nostalgic memories for others.

“Visitors will be reminded of how nature and culture are not two separate things, but always intertwined with each other,” says Stewart.

At the media opening on May 27, April Matisz will speak to her work creating several large-scale painted murals within the exhibition space that connect museum and artistic practice in vibrant and dynamic ways. Exhibition curator Tyler Stewart will also be available for media comments.

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This media release can be found at www.galtmuseum.com/news.

Media Contacts

Dryden Roesch (he/him)
Marketing and Communications
dryden.roesch@galtmuseum.com