Drawing on Identity: The Inkameep Day School & Art Collection

The Osoyoos Museum virtual exhibit presents the story of the Inkameep Day School and Art Collection. Through art and drama Okanogan children and their teacher, Order of Canada recipient Mr. Anthony Walsh, recorded an extraordinary chapter in Canadian history (1931-1942) when the children gained national and international fame for their productions that focused on their Okanogan identities and experiences as aboriginal children growing up in interwar Canada. The site documents the school's creation in 1919, its rise to fame, its collapse, and the rediscovery of the art, concluding with the inclusion of Inkameep art in the exhibition Drawings of the World at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 2003. The site is of contemporary importance to Canadians and aboriginal peoples as it will feature new audio and video captured for the VMC of former students recollecting their positive experiences at the Inkameep Day School.

There were no sites online dedicated to Native children's art, history and culture before this website was created. This site provides an unparalleled exhibition in North America of Native children's art creating during the mid-20th century.

Unlimited worked closely with Dr. Andrea Walsh for achieving this project's success and for our working relations with the Elders, community members and living descendants of those who attended the school who are no longer with us. Initial strategy for the site was developed with Dr. Walsh who ensured this met the goals for the project from within the community. Unlimited travelled to Osoyoos on two occasions for establishing a creative direction and for site evaluation. When it became apparent that there was no content available in Okanogan, a data capture of a welcoming message was added and became a vital component of the website's spirit. As well, Unlimited is in the process of creating an e-card for the virtual exhibition as well as an in-person multimedia experience for the Inkameep Desert and Heritage Centre.

This website takes advantage of different technologies that use media rich content that is organized by theme. These themes are offered in a linear fashion, with a timeline perspective spanning over several decades. Each of these content sub groupings contain stories, photographs, art work, PDFs, video and audio clips. Some of the thematic groupings will contain historic film footage that was edited and adapted for the Internet, abiding CHIN standards. Other thematic groupings use Flash programming to bring motion to photographs and/or art work which include audio effects.

New audio/visual content of living elders that were enrolled in the Inkameep Day School was captured as well as those who have contributed to the collection at the Osoyoos Museum. This footage was shot on location in Osoyoos, British Columbia by a third party and was then adapted by Unlimited.

In addition, the content is organized in a such as way that will allows users to access information at any given point over a 84 year radius while keeping within the context of the bigger story of the Inkameep Day School. All of the content and media is accessible to the targeted audience, and is in English and French.

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