Volunteers are encouraged to meet up at the Allen Sapp Gallery to make Red Dress Pins and Heart Pins in time for the Walking With Our Sisters Round Dance on Jan. 31.
The round dance is in remembrance of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Red Dress Pins will be given out at the event. Volunteers may also make pins for themselves.
The bead-ins will be hosted at the Allan Sapp Gallery on the evenings of Thursday, Jan. 17, Wednesday, Jan 23 and Thursday, Jan 24 from 6 to 8 p.m.
They are also looking for volunteers to make sandwiches and clean up during and after the event. Call Raven at 306-445-1760 to volunteer.
The use of red dresses to represent Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman and Girls originated with Métis artist Jaime Black in 2010. At her exhibit, the REDRess Project. Black dispayed more than 100 red dresses around the University of Winnipeg campus to raise awareness about the issue.
Inspired by the art installation, Walking With Our Sisters Thunder Bay first created Red Dress Pins in 2016 for families meeting with the national MMIWG inquiry in their community.
Today, red dresses continue to be used across Canada as a representation of the Indigenous women and girls lost to violent crime and as a call for action to prevent future violence.
