By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Public Library (TBPL) unveiled new custom-made shelves and tables created by eight third-year Sheridan College furniture students for the Indigenous Knowledge Centre at the Waverley Library on June 12.

“It was an honour to be a part of this project, working with all the students and sharing knowledge and teachings as we went out on the land to get ideas,” says Fort William Elder Sheila DeCorte, one of the Indigenous Action Council members who helped design the furniture and did the opening prayer for the unveiling. “Seeing that they listened, they heard the teachings that were shared and they incorporated it into this beautiful furniture.”

Simon Ford, acting head of the furniture studio at Sheridan College’s Craft and Design program, says the project was a truly experiential and rewarding process.

“It enabled students to develop their collaboration skills, which is something that we’re constantly looking for in the projects we do,” Ford says. “And it enables them to consider design that serves others and asks them to put aside the ego that usually comes along with working in the design industry. It also asks them to critically question issues of social injustices, that’s a really valuable thing for students to do in the third year of the program.”

Connie Chisholm, a furniture maker, teacher at Sheridan College and leader at Codesign, says she and the students met with the Indigenous Action Council members over three magical days this past January.

“We ate meals together, we went snowshoeing, we listened to a lot of really amazing stories from Sheila and we had just fantastic conversations, and then we started designing,” Chisholm says. “We did a bunch of activities where we asked a lot of questions and we listened and then we pulled out our felt pens and paper and little pieces of wood and hot glue guns and just spent a lot of time imagining this space, what the space could look like, what kind of things would happen in the space and how we could make furniture that would support those activities.”

Beverly Sabourin, Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg citizen and one of the Indigenous Action Council members, says the project was an amazing experience and the first collaborative process that she was involved with.

“We had lots of fun doing it but there were so many ideas,” Sabourin says. “I think Sheila has already mentioned some of the ideas that are in the furniture, with the water and the river. Some of the other ideas were the birch trees at the back — the trees at the back represent the birch trees and look at how beautiful that looks.”

Sabourin says the little round table on the side represents tikinagan boards and beadwork and the big table with the circle can be moved in many directions, noting that it features the four directions and the four colours.

“I think what we all wanted was a room that looked very welcoming, safe, supportive, caring, that had an Indigenous flavour to it,” Sabourin says. “I think we did an amazing job everyone, all the ideas that came from each part of us is in the furniture. When I walk in here now, I see me in every little part of those furniture and I think all of us see ourselves in the furniture and I think the Indigenous community [that] come[s] into this library will also see themselves in the library.”

The project was based on the success of a similar project that was completed at the Brodie Library in 2020.