SHUSWAP RIVER WATERTHREAD TAPESTRY
How well do you know where the water comes from, that we drink every day?
Coordintated and facilitated by Runaway Moon Theatre of Grindrod BC, we are proud to present an embroidered tapestry of seven panels, representing the Shuswap River Watershed.
This “map” was embroidered by over fifty people in the various communities fed or partially fed by the watershed of the Shuswap River and its tributaries located in the North Okanagan of British Columbia. Drop-in workshops were held between January and April 2024 in Sicamous, Mara, Enderby, Ashton Creek, Armstrong, Vernon, and Lumby. People of all ages and all levels of experiences took part; their names are embroidered on an accompanying panel. When completed, Splatsin Elder Marie Thomas beaded the main waterway, from the source at Greenbush Lake to where the river empties out into Shuswap Lake at Sicamous.
The Vernon Forestry District map from the British Columbia Foresty Service was studied to discover the extent of the Shuswap River watershed. This paper map also accompanies the tapestry and is marked (in green) to indicate the extent of the Shuswap River watershed. Red lines on this map show how the area was divided into seven panels worked by each of the participating communities. The embroidered tapestry on display is oriented East/West instead of North/South, so that it could be displayed horizontally.
Special thanks to Marie Thomas (Splatsin), Cheryl Keetley (Sicamous), Anne Richardson (Mara), Armstrong Quilters, Deb Humphries (Vernon) and Cathy Lansing (Lumby), Laura MacDonald who built the wooden framework that holds the map, and to Cathy Stubington, Carolyn Uher, Katherine Watson and Jasmin Wright who facilitated this endeavour.
On opening reception will take place on March 6 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.