Kerri Parnell Pause in Plight

In the Alex Fong Galleria

Pause in Plight

Artist Statement

Pause in Plight, a 17-piece art exhibit created by Winnipeg artist, Kerri Parnell, reveals the Canadian WWI national security fears and wartime prejudice, which led to the internment of more than 8,000 men, women and children primarily of Ukrainian and Eastern European descent deemed as "enemy aliens".

Pause in Plight will tour across Canada between 2020-2025 to help bring awareness to this historical injustice. The internment art exhibit is laid out in five different sections: War posters, Light installation, Emotional Interpretation Series, Old Eyes Series, and To Hell with the Alien Enemy.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to create this Art Exhibit, and to work with amazing people towards a common goal to expose the truth. The Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund (CFWWIRF) was pre-empted by the Endowment Council. Their initiative to commemorate and acknowledge those affected by Canada’s first national internment operations inspired me. It ignites my heart and reminds me that history is not condemned to repeat itself. As we learn from our past, may we collectively move forward in better light.” says Parnell. This project has been made possible by a grant from the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund.

Artist Biography

Kerri Parnell creates art that inspires community connections. Born and raised in Winnipeg Manitoba, Kerri attended the University of Manitoba-School of Fine Arts and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her passion is to collaborate with others on projects that promote social awareness and change. Her results are both thought provoking and aesthetically beautiful. Nowhere is this more evident than Pause in Plight.