Public Artwork
Circuit littéraire de Gabrielle Roy
Artwork creator(s):
Gaboury, Étienne
Text author(s):
Roy, Gabrielle
Installation year:
2008 Description:
The installation consists of stations featuring plates engraved with quotes from Gabrielle Roy. Each monument is installed at the exact location described in the quote. Some sites also feature five chairs resembling the human body, all reminiscent of a classroom or theatrical composition, two fields that were very close to Gabrielle Roy's heart.
Text of the artwork:
The other baby class was open to all
non-French-speaking children, who were
considered English-speaking though they
weren't really any of English origin, but
rather Russian, Polish, Italian, Spanish,
Irish, Czech, Dutch...
I became very attached to it and very
close to those children, and they taught
me a great deal about the folklore, songs
and dances of their people...
So much so that when Brother Joseph
suggested I move
up to a third or
fourth-year class a few years later, I
begged him to leave me with my little
immigrants.
- Enchantment and Sorrow
At the convent, the nuns fostered feelings
of heroic defence in us. Defying the law,
spending what little free time they had to
give us additional instruction, they
continued to teach us in French...
In my last years at school, spurred on,
steered by the sisters, I snagged all of
the prizes awarded by l'Association des
Canadiens français du Manitoba to the
students who came in first in the French
exams.
- Ma petite rue qui m'a menée
autour du monde
Text theme:
Autobiographical stories, self-discovery, quest for identity
Artwork theme:
Discovery of the author's identity, of a place of significance in her life. Houses inhabited by the author, or sometimes by members of her family, and places that inspired her work.
Text reference:
History:
The Gabrielle Roy Literary Circuit is a project initiated by Friends of Gabrielle Roy, produced in association with several partners. It was launched in fall 2008 to commemorate the centenary of Gabrielle Roy's birth, in March 2009.
Event date(s):
2008 Note(s):
The Gabrielle Roy Literary Circuit is a multidisciplinary project that aims to spread the work of Gabrielle Roy, making it more accessible in places that have influenced her literary work.
Artist's biography:
Étienne Gaboury
Author's biography:
Gabrielle Roy Document(s):
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