St. Christopher Catholic School Learning with Lorrie Gallant

On March 24, artist, storyteller, author and illustrator Lorrie Gallant from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, Cayuga Nation, Turtle Clan, visited with Grade 7 students from St. Christopher Catholic School in Oshawa to share her latest book and teach artistic technique and expression through plasticine. 

The students did a great deal of prior learning with their teacher, Ms. Rogers, and the Indigenous Education Team. Lorrie’s visit enhanced prior learning by inspiring students in understanding how to move forward with Indigenous Education and Truth and Reconciliation. 

The day began with Lorrie sharing her personal story, her creative process, and by providing a reading of her recently published book, The Day I Became Number 54, which recounts the true story of a residential school survivor of the Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford. Lorrie spoke to the many survivor stories she experienced as program coordinator for the Woodland Cultural Center on the site of the former residential school. 

Lorrie Gallant is also a professor, a cultural community facilitator, an associate expressive arts practitioner, a youth leadership program community coordinator, an advisor for Facing History Canada and an Assistant Clinical Professor for the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University. She spoke to her roles later in the day as she helped students express their own identity through art.  

Lorrie modelled some of the various artistic techniques she uses to create portraits in her book out of plasticine and students created their very own clay self-portraits. Each student ended the day receiving a signed copy of the book.   

According to Lorrie, we are all born creative. We are all artists, and we can create. Creativity is a form of self-care and helps us to better understand ourselves on a daily basis. It's not about what we create, rather our response to the creative experience where healing can occur.