The NWT Art Centre Initiative is holding public gatherings on the history and impact of Akaitcho Hall.
The non-profit is aiming to build a non-commercial art gallery and visual arts-focused community centre in Yellowknife.
In a press release announcing the upcoming gatherings, the organization said the former Akaitcho Hall lot had “emerged as the preferred location” for that centre.
Akaitcho Hall, which operated from 1958 to 1994, was a residence for children from across the North who attended the neighbouring Sir John Franklin High School. The building has since been demolished.
The NWT Art Centre Initiative said it is holding gatherings with the aim of honouring former students and discussing how an art centre could acknowledge their experiences.
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“We look forward to hearing from as many people as possible, from residential school survivors and their family members, about the significance of the former Akaitcho Hall site and whether or not it might be an appropriate location for a public art gallery,” stated project director Adrian Bell.
The organization said the gatherings will feature a panel of former students and Gwichyà Gwich’in historian Crystal Gail Fraser.
“Akaitcho Hall is more than a vacant lot – it is about the histories and experiences of northerners,” Fraser said.
“Today, genuine truth and reconciliation begin with listening to those survivors and former students whose lives were shaped at Akaitcho Hall. We must honour their words and wisdom. Only then can a new art centre rise as a place of remembrance, creativity and collective healing.”
An in-person gathering is planned for June 17 from 5-8pm at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre. A virtual gathering is scheduled to take place on June 25 from 7-8:30pm.
Onsite wellness support will be available.
