Rooting for Reclamation: A Conversation with Madison Bridal

In anticipation of Rooting for Reclamation, Legacy Art Gallery's Young Canada Works intern, Arshia Negi, interviewed the curator of the exhibition, Madison Bridal. This interview took place in July 2024. Rooting for Reclamation is on display at Legacy Art Gallery until December 7, 2024.

Arshia Negi (AN): Your exhibit is entitled Rooting for Reclamation. Where did the inspiration for the title come from?

Madison Bridal (MB): It took me a while to come up with the title. The exhibit is featuring four Black artists, and I really wanted to highlight each of their personal interpretations of what Black reclamation means to them. Because this is an art gallery, and a university art gallery, I feel like having a Black exhibition here in and of itself is a reclamation of space because of the widescale history of exclusion and harm to the Black community across education systems and art galleries.

I was stuck on the idea of the symbolism of roots. The heritage of roots, and the science of roots — how roots will communicate with each other underground. I also was playing with the idea of rooting, like “I’m rooting for you,” [due to] the sense of support and community-building, like rooting for each other. A lot of the artists have reflected that they make their art in respect to their ancestors—their ancestors [who] may not have had this chance or opportunity, their ancestors [who] fought for them to be here. The rooting for you is also a connection to that like, “I’m doing this for you." So, a lot of different aspects formed together, and that’s how I ended up with Rooting for Reclamation.

AN: That’s really beautiful. What was your vision for the space in terms of what you wanted it to feel like, and how did that impact your curatorial decisions? 

MB:  I really wanted this space to be a space for the Black community. The term that I often went back to was “accountable space.” I work at the BC Museums Association as well, and we talk about accountable space instead of safe space, because you can’t guarantee a safe space for people. But the accountable space is a space that people can come [to] with respect and kindness towards each other. I really wanted it to be a space [where] Black people can come and see themselves represented—see their stories, see the diversity in the stories. Of course, the space is welcome to everybody, and it is [an] inclusive space for all, but I feel like sometimes artists are put in this perspective where it’s an education piece. I wanted this to be more of a space for them and whatever they wanted to represent. 

AN: That’s really lovely. I think in your initial application you said that you felt really inspired by The Chorus is Speaking—specifically you said that it was the exhibit’s focus on histories of exclusion that really resonated with you. Can you elaborate on what that concept, but also representation more broadly, means to you? 

MB: I think it’s hard growing up and not seeing yourself represented. I’m a mixed-race individual, so it was interesting growing up and seeing so much whiteness represented, but then having to personally seek out my Black history, my Black stories. With the histories of exclusion, there’s a long history of not being represented, Black artists not being welcomed into the space and being vastly under-collected [in museum collections]. Many Canadian art galleries still today have a very limited percentage of Black artists in their collection, so it’s still an ongoing issue.

[Grafton Tyler Brown], one of the first known Black artists in Victoria, was presenting as white while his art was being displayed. There are very big complexities in that too. Knowing that people have been forced to put themselves in different boxes to be represented, I was really focused on being the anti that. It was very intentional to have the theme of reclamation be so broad to then allow artists to have their own voice[s] in the exhibit, rather than me coming in and having this very specific tailored idea in mind. I wanted to have that reclamation and that representation, but also allow it up to interpretation as well.

AN:  This is something I really wanted to ask because, for over a decade now, we’ve been having [this cultural conversation] of what representation looks like in different spaces, and so I really appreciate how you’ve thought of it and made that part of your exhibit. Especially the community focus, it feels very real. 

MB: Representation isn’t about tokenism. That’s why own voice is so valuable and so important. I’m so happy to be here [at Legacy], to be able to curate the exhibit, but I’m also not the sole one telling the story. That’s one of the major points that I would like to see in representation. 

AN: Similarly, you said that you wanted to give space particularly to new voices and artists, and younger artists who might not have yet had a chance to be exhibited in a space like this before. Why was this a priority for you?

MB: I think giving opportunities to more artists in the sector and giving opportunities for growth and representation of different age ranges, is important. If we want more representation in the sector, we need to show the diversity within the Black community and give opportunities to [all]. Hopefully [we can] boost some careers and [have] more people be showcased. I wish I could have more than four artists in here because I want to give space to as many people as possible.

AN: That’s a very generous way of approaching curating and it is [still] kind of rare to see that. As a younger person in this field myself, I find that to be very, very meaningful.

MB: I appreciate that. I feel like I might have a different perspective too [since] this is my first go at the art sector.

AN: You come from a museum background and have previously curated history exhibits?

MB: Yeah, I come from a museum background. I’ve done history display cases and online history exhibits in the past. That’s my background in curatorship, it’s still very introductory; the arts sector is very new to me, but it’s such a lovely opportunity for me to learn more. The values and the things that I want to see different in the GLAM sector (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) are the same whether in museums or art galleries. This is just a different way for me to push that value. A different domain.

AN: Absolutely! Do you think that you will want to continue working with artists and art in a gallery setting in the future?

MB: Absolutely, I’ve loved it. It has been such a lovely opportunity for me to not only connect with the artists but connect with so many more people in the Black community here. That sense of connection and community that comes with curatorship I really loved, so I would absolutely love opportunities like this again.

AN: That’s really exciting! What was it like curating a brand-new exhibit alongside The Chorus is Speaking, which is a travelling exhibit? To what extent did that impact your curating in this space?

MB: It definitely did in the beginning. I wanted to have a good understanding of what was coming in with The Chorus is Speaking, so that [both exhibits] could coincide well. It was a great starting point for me to see what was coming in and get inspiration from that, but at the same time I wanted this exhibit to be its own thing. 

AN: It’s really nice that your focus is specifically for Victoria. When we put out the call for Black artists there was a real emphasis on trying to get people in this area and I think that definitely meshes well with your emphasis on finding community, and [that] there is already community here.

MB: Yeah, I agree there definitely is a community here, this [just] allowed me the opportunity to engage with [that] community—and hopefully grow it more as well. I really wanted people to be able to tell their own stories from the local community, but also, they’re telling their own diasporic stories as well. A lot of our artists are touching on themes of connection to home, and what home and belonging means. But also, their connection to their roots and their heritage, or where they lived beforehand and their upbringing.

AN: My last question for you is, what do you hope that visitors—and specifically, I would say Black visitors to the gallery—take away from this exhibit? What would you like people to leave this space with?

MB: For Black visitors, I want them to leave with the space of feeling represented and a sense of community. [I am] really hoping to have a big opening event for the Black community to get a bunch of people together and celebrate the space together. I want it to feel like a comfortable and accountable space for them to come to. For those that are involved in the community, [it’s] a celebration of the community; for those that maybe feel a little bit distanced and separated, it’s this idea that the Black community is here—like you are here, you are represented, the Black community is here, and Victoria is a space where we can celebrate the Black community. I know that’s not going to all change with one exhibit, but I hope when people come into this space it’s at least [a] break from society where they can feel it here.

For the general community, [it] goes back to the idea of like we’re here. There’s diversity within the Black community, it’s not one siloed, overarching community, there’s diversity in experiences and opinions. I feel [the exhibit] gives both to the Black community, but also to the general community as well, to enter a space that is not rooted in whiteness and not rooted for whiteness.

AN: That’s really lovely. Thank you for answering all of those questions!

Image credits (top to bottom): Image of Madison Bridal by Jazmin Hundal; Installation image by Ivy Allen; Nathan Smith, Anansi, digital photograph, 2019.

Article: Arshia Negi, Visitor Engagement and Programming Assistant (Young Canada Works).