In the fall of 2009, Elizabeth Russell produced a show at the Richmond Art Gallery called Migration/Immigrant Stories, a research project that gathered tales from new Canadians.
The display caught the attention of Ellen van Eijnsbergen, then the visual arts program manager of Coquitlam's Evergreen Cultural Centre, who invited Russell to submit a proposal for her gallery on a similar theme.
Russell took up the offer and, after her application was accepted, she started to look around the community for who she could partner with.
With the help of Astrid Heyerdahl, ECC's new visual arts manager, the pair drew up a list of people to contact to be part of Russell's exhibit called Exchanges, which opens Friday.
About 80 participants from the Glen Pine Pavilion - a seniors' centre in Coquitlam - as well as students from Port Moody secondary and immigrants of all ages living in the Tri-Cities joined Russell for a writing and art workshop in May.
Their task? Describe in words and draw in pastel a memory of a place that represents "home" or "homeland."
And the results took Russell by surprise as very few of them created stories or images that represented where they currently live.
"With this project, I thought I would learn a lot about the local history of Coquitlam but that didn't happen," she said. "No matter which group, they pretty much all had a strong memory about somewhere else.... To me, that showed memories are about distance."
The participants predominately interpreted vibrant landscapes - beach scenes, forests, cityscapes, for example - and not of people or animals. Russell cited the work of Jae Eun Kim, a Korean native who drew boxes to show the densification and uniformness of her country.
Often, Russell said, their words were more powerful than their artwork. "Some of them didn't know how to draw. It was a very intimidating way of communicating for them. But they all had a story to share, even though their English may not have been perfect."
Russell, a Courtenay resident who teaches art at North Island College, hopes the project "if nothing else gave them the opportunity to express themselves and a voice to tell us who's actually in the community," she said. "They're very proud of where they come from."
Russell herself will have two installations in the exhibit to complement her participants' work. The first is a lifesize sail with a projection on it of a field in London, England, where she once lived; the second installation comprises seven new paintings and drawings of views from windows where Russell has resided.
Meanwhile, as part of Exchanges, viewers will be invited to put on paper their memories of "home" or "homeland."
The Evergreen Cultural Centre art gallery is open Monday to Saturday, noon to 5 p.m., with free public tours on Saturdays at 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
