Art Windsor-Essex respectfully acknowledges that we are located on Anishinaabe Territory – the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, comprised of the Ojibway, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi. Today the Anishinaabe of the Three Fires Confederacy are represented by Bkejwanong. We want to state our respect for the ancestral and ongoing authority of Walpole Island First Nation over its Territory.
- Home
- Events + Workshops
- The Legacy of Mary Ann Shadd Cary
The Legacy of Mary Ann Shadd Cary
Time and Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023, 10am-5pm
Location: AWE, 2nd floor
-
- Film Screening: 10am –12pm and 1pm – 5pm (looped)
- Speaker Panel: 12pm – 1pm
- Weekends in the Studio with Talysha Bujold-Abu: 1pm – 4pm
- Community Art Display: 10am – 5pm
Cost: Admission to AWE is $10 for non-members and free for members.
On Saturday, October 28th, please join the Essex County Black Historical Research Society and Art Windsor-Essex for a day of celebration in conjunction with the Bicentennial of Windsor’s own Mary Ann Shadd Cary (October 9, 1823-June 5, 1893.) All activities are free with regular admission to Art Windsor-Essex.
Commemorative activities will include:
- Screening of the short film Mary Ann Shadd Cary in Her Own Words from 10:00 a.m.-noon and from 1:00-4:00 p.m. This film was produced by the Essex County Black Historical Research Society and Literary Arts Windsor with support from the Canada Council for the Arts.
- Weekends in the Studio: On Saturdays and Sundays, 1-4 p.m., throughout the month of October, enjoy arts workshops appropriate for all ages in the studio at Art Windsor-Essex, free with your gallery admission. For the month of October, these workshops are inspired by the life and legacy of Mary Ann Shadd Cary. October 21st, 22nd, 28th, and 29th, facilitated by Talysha Bujold-Abu, create bookmarks or flowers using newspapers.
- A panel discussion, Mary Ann Shadd Cary at 200, 12:00-1:00 p.m. Who was Mary Ann Shadd Cary, what was her impact, why does her story matter, and what is the significance of her legacy in the present day? Panelists include Irene Moore Davis, Shantelle Browning-Morgan, Teajai Travis, Mbonisi Zikhali Zomkhonto, Amina Abdulle, and Talysha Bujold Abu. Moderator: Moya McAlister. Complimentary themed refreshments will be served. More details here.
The Essex County Black Historical Research Society
The Essex County Black Historical Research Society brings together individuals interested in the research, preservation, promotion and advancement of the Black (African-Canadian) history of the Windsor-Essex County area. Information is presented and discussed relating primarily to Blacks in Essex County. The ECBHRS encourages and stimulates interest within the community in the Black history of Windsor and Essex County and surrounding area and cooperates with other historical societies, museums and related organizations. Learn more.
Weekends in the Studio: Newspaper Bookmarks with Talysha Bujold-Abu
Mary Ann Shadd was an educator, publisher, and the first Black woman in North America to publish and edit a newspaper, The Provincial Freeman. Inspired by Shadd’s history, Paper & Play looks to celebrate the newspaper as both a material and tool for community connection and communication. In this easy drop-in workshop participants will have the opportunity to craft a one-of-a-kind bookmark! Materials will include newspaper collage elements and other multimedia favourites to create the perfect reading companion. This program is supported by Anne Safranyos and family.
Talysha Bujold-Abu (she/her) is an illustrator, administrator, and writer – she holds a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Windsor (2018) and is recipient of the Conundrum Press Mini-Comic Bursary for Black and Indigenous Creators (2021). Residencies include: New Zealand Pacific Studio (2016), ArtsPond (2020-2021), Pelee Quarry – Stone & Sky Artists Residency (2020-2021), and Struts Gallery (2022).
Did you know?
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was born on October 9, 1823, in Wilmington, Delaware. She was a prominent educator and was one of the first Black women to establish a school in Canada.
She was a fierce advocate for both the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage. She used her newspaper, “The Provincial Freeman,” to promote these causes.
In 1853, she became the first Black female newspaper publisher in North America when she started “The Provincial Freeman” in here in Windsor.
Mary Ann Shadd Cary moved to Canada to provide support to refugees from slavery and those escaping the Fugitive Slave Act in the United States. Already a noted abolitionist in the U.S., she became actively involved in defending the rights of Black Canadians.”
In addition to her work as a teacher, she helped recruit Black soldiers for the Union Army during the American Civil War and continued her activism after the war, even becoming an attorney. Her dedication to education and civil rights left a lasting legacy in both the United States and Canada.
Related Events + Workshops
Sat Oct 28
Sat Oct 21
Workshop
Weekends in the Studio! Newspaper Bookmarks with Talysha Bujold-Abu
October 21 | 1 pm - 4 pm
Sun Oct 29
Workshop
Weekends in the Studio! Newspaper Envelopes with Talysha Bujold-Abu
October 29 | 1 pm - 4 pm