En’owkin Centre Breastfeeding Art Expo

Authors

  • Karen Graham Interior Health, Population Health, Public Health Dietitian
  • Rhonda Camille Adams Lake Indian Band
  • Tracey Kim Bonneau En'owkin Centre

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v5i2.289

Keywords:

breastfeeding promotion, Indigenous, art, exhibit, Indigenous health, En'owkin, Penticton Indian Band, Adams Lake Indian Band

Abstract

A unique Indigenous-focused Art Expo on the topic of breastfeeding was held at En’owkin Centre at Penticton Indian Band in October and November 2017. The En’owkin Centre is a nationally recognized Indigenous arts and training centre. This review highlights some of the art from the En’owkin Indigenous Expo including six of the Community Art Projects and three Independent Art pieces.   

The En’owkin Breastfeeding Art Expo was part of a larger Expo (2017-2018) that is a joint partnership with Interior Health and the non-profit social service organization KCR-Community Resources; it was funded by five organizations. With 35 community partners, the project was led by a ten-member steering committee that including two Indigenous members. The Expo offered a full-colour Art Catalogue and a Teacher’s Guide. The larger Expo travelled to six locations in the Interior of British Columbia, and included 15 large community art projects and 65 independent artworks by citizens of central British Columbia, as well as 20 short videos that tell the significant art and health stories.  

Art is recognized as an important tool for Indigenous people for health and healing. This Expo was an opportunity to celebrate community, art, and breastfeeding. The goals of the Expo were multi-faceted, namely, to increase awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding, to encourage new ways of thinking about health through art, and to support work towards establishing better care for women to breastfeed in the hospital and community.

Author Biographies

Karen Graham, Interior Health, Population Health, Public Health Dietitian

Karen Graham, Interior Health Public Health Dietitian in Kelowna, BC, and Coordinator and Curator of the Breastfeeding Art Expo

Rhonda Camille, Adams Lake Indian Band

Rhonda Camille, a member of the Breastfeeding Art Expo Steering Committee, and a Secwepemc First Nation woman who works at the Sexqeltqin Health Centre at Adams Lake Band, near Chase BC.

Tracey Kim Bonneau, En'owkin Centre

Tracey Kim Bonneau, a member of Syilx Okanagan Nation, and Public Relations Spokesperson at En’owkin Cultural Centre on Penticton Indian Band and co-curator of En’owkin Breastfeeding Art Expo

Image of art from En’owkin Centre Breastfeeding Art Expo

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Published

2018-05-23

How to Cite

Graham, K., Camille, R., & Bonneau, T. K. (2018). En’owkin Centre Breastfeeding Art Expo. Canadian Food Studies La Revue Canadienne Des études Sur l’alimentation, 5(2), 196–203. https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v5i2.289