Pulling To Gather was a community project aimed at restoring Nanaimo’s native ecology in an artful way. Introduced to Nanaimo decades ago, English Ivy has grown into Colliery Dam Park and taken over much of the forest floor. We have taken group action to remove ivy, restore the land’s native ecology, and to repurpose the ivy vines for artful expression. We have hosted a series of invasive species pulls at Colliery Dam Park over the month of April 2024, alongside a series of arts workshops that utilize the plant matter removed from the Park. These dual efforts culminated in an Earth Day Celebration on April 27th, where we showcased the results of our effort!
We acknowledge that the City of Nanaimo resides on the Traditional Territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. We recognize and honor their enduring connection to this land, their stewardship of its resources, and their rich cultural heritage. We offer our gratitude for the opportunity to live, work, and learn on this territory, and we commit to fostering meaningful relationships built on respect, understanding, and reconciliation.
At the Earth Day Celebration on April 27th 2024, our community of artists, dancers, storytellers, and families gathered together in unity to celebrate our efforts at restoring Nanaimo’s native ecology, through art, inspiration, and connection. Click below to view our Celebration Archive, showcasing the work of our community!
Mayita Mendez
Mayita Mendez is a professional photographer born in El Salvador, raised in NYC, and living in BC Canada. She worked as a photojournalist in New York and was on staff for the daily New York City based newspaper Newsday. Her photography has been featured in major newspapers across the USA, from The New York Times to the Los Angeles Times. She was a awarded a Presidential Scholarship at the Rhode Island School of Design where she received her MFA. She has exhibited her work on both Protection Island and galleries in New York City. She is currently working on a project that investigates women’s relationships with the natural world.
Art Action Earwig
Minah & Wryly, the founding duo brings their Love teeth, 몸 & 맘 (body & mind/spirit in Korean) to their community participatory piece, Love Tooth Nest. Weaving a mother tongue, a mouthful plant chat, and wisdoms of the land, 몸 & 맘 encourage you to feel your roots in the mouth of Mother Earth. The seed-bomb gifts at the Nest contain papier mâché made of audience members’ unique tooth stories given to the wire-tooth sculpture exhibited during their solo exhibition “Give Birth Love Tooth (2023)” at Nanaimo Art Gallery. Tadafumi co-facilitated the cyanotype session for Pulling Ivy Sewing Seeds and installs the community-artwork composing a blue-print map featuring negative sun-printing images of pulled ivy-vines and native plant-inspired images sewn on them.
Invasive Plants in Native Plant Habitats & Creative Interventions Moderated by Mayita Mendez
We have been delighted to hold this special morning conversation over a warm cup of tea and snacks in the forest. Snuneymuxw Elder Geraldine Manson and ethnobotanist Nancy Turner shared their in-depth knowledge over a casual and friendly dialogue.
Did you know that invasive species are one of the biggest threats to biodiversity? It’s a complex topic as many invasive plants hold significance in the origin of their cultures and habitats and that’s why they were brought by settlers along with their gardens on Native lands. Pulling To Gather artists have been working on the ground and thinking through our relationships to the land. For settler artists, it has been a unique opportunity to scrutinize our responsibilities to take care of the ecology.
This conversation was moderated by photographer Mayita, who has been working with a group of local women, photographing their moments during ivy-pulling parties and exhibiting them on April 27th at Colliery Dam Park Pulling To Gather Earth Day celebration!
This event is took place during SAVE 21 ACRES & OPEN HOUSE EVENT at Wildwood Ecoforest.
C’tasi:a Geraldine Manson
‘Elder-in-Resident’ since 2008 with Vancouver Island University located in Nanaimo.
A key part of Manson’s role is supporting the movement of aboriginal knowledge related to Traditional Protocols and history of Snuneymuxw First Nation into the existing curriculum offered at the University. Her passion is history connected to the surrounding mountains, rivers that flow into the ocean and all resources each contain. Geraldine has recently published two books that offer insight to history of her Ancestor’s legacy. At present she is focused on her third book titled, “Medicinal Bundles”.
Nancy Turner
An ethnobotanist, and a retired Professor, from the University of Victoria here in BC. She has worked with First Nations elders and cultural specialists in northwestern North America for over 50 years, helping to document, retain and promote their botanical and environmental expertise. Her 2-volume award-winning book, Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge (2014; MQUP), integrates her long-term research. She has authored/co-authored/co-edited 30 other books, including: The Earth’s Blanket (2005); “Keeping it Living”(2005); Plants, People and Places (2020); Plants of Haida Gwaii (2021); and Luschiim’s Plants (2021), and over 150 book chapters and papers. She has received a number of awards for her work, including Order of British Columbia (1999) and Order of Canada (2009), and honorary degrees from VIU, UNBC, SFU and UBC.
Mayita Mendez is a professional photographer born in El Salvador, raised in NYC, and living in BC Canada. She worked as a photojournalist in New York and was on staff for the daily New York City based newspaper Newsday. Her photography has been featured in major newspapers across the USA, from The New York Times to the Los Angeles Times. She was a awarded a Presidential Scholarship at the Rhode Island School of Design where she received her MFA. She has exhibited her work on both Protection Island and galleries in New York City. She is currently working on a project that investigates women’s relationships with the natural world.
Minah Lee
Art Action Earwig
Wryly Andherson
Art Action Earwig
Michael Geselbracht
Nanaimo Forest School
The following images were taken at our plant pulling sessions down at Colliery Dam.