The Godfrey Dean Art Gallery recently held an artist reception for its two current exhibitions. In attendance were artist Jeanne Mah and members of the Mark family, formerly of Yorkton, who were part of the TRAIN: les Arrivées as artist and subject.
Mah says the genesis of the show came from Don Stein, who suggested doing a series on railways through Saskatchewan.
The most difficult part of putting the show together was simply finding the pictures, Mah says. The history of Chinese-Canadian families was not well documented, and simply finding pictures for the program. Her idea was to go across Saskatchewan, from Yorkton to Consul, where her family had settled. However, in searching archives, pictures were difficult to find, until a happy coincidence set Mah up with the Mark family, specifically Lily Tingley. The women were swimming buddies, Mah says, and when the upcoming show came up in conversation, she learned Tingley was from Yorkton and finally had a source to connect the show to the region.
The difficulty finding photos to use was something that Mah says reflects the experience of the Chinese families in the province.
"I think Chinese families were busy working all the time and we didn't document anything really," Mah says.
"We didn't have family photos in the sense that we would sit around and take a photo, we had to bring a photographer in and get this done, and we have one photo of a family Christmas together out of all the years we were together," Tingley adds.
The show is about documenting history that hasn't been well documented. Mah says that it's a common problem with Saskatchewan history, as things are disappearing as people allow them to fade away.
"In a generation, things are erased completely, without much notice. It's not just Chinese, it's the many nationalities that come here, we don't have a lot of history. We exist, and we disappear," Mah says.
Another reason for the difficulty could have come from the culture at the time, as the families were more focused on pushing their children towards success rather than documenting their own lives. Tingley says that her parents worked hard and for long hours to provide her and her family an education and get them into more respected careers.
"You do not want to grow in a restaurant, you have to go to university. There is no stopping, you do not quit school, and don't you forget it, that was the utmost concern," Tingley says.
"Chinese families are pushing so hard, it's another reason it was not recorded. This is our lives now, but our lives will get better," Mah adds.
The show was a homecoming for Tingley, and she says it was an emotional experience to see where her family began, and what has happened since.
"We were a poor family when we were living in Yorkton, but we turned out okay... We were successful in our own way, and that was really enlightening for me, to see that pottery," Tingley says.
TRAIN: les Arrivées runs until the end of the month at the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery. Admission is free.
