Project Showcase: The Lost Stories Project

17 September 2015 – editors

The Lost Stories Project seeks out little-known stories about the Canadian past, transforms them into inexpensive works of public art installed on appropriate sites, and documents the process by way of a series of short films. Along the way, forgotten moments from Canadian history come to light, and viewers have an opportunity to see the choices made when a story transforms into a work of art.

The project’s pilot tells the story of Thomas Widd, a deaf man who founded Montreal’s Mackay School for the Deaf. When businessman Joseph Mackay provided the land and the money for the school, Widd’s name–and his own story–were literally “lost,” much to the dismay of the local deaf community, which views him as a hero. Indeed, Janet McConnell, whose deaf parents attended Widd’s school, brought the story to us.

Widd’s story has now been “found” thanks to the mural created by artist Lalie Douglas, whose creative process has been documented in a 22-minute film directed by Bernar Hébert. The film both tells Widd’s story and documents how Douglas translated McConnell’s story into a work of art. Montreal’s Festival International du Film sur l’Art screened the film in March 2015.

Ronald Rudin, a professor of history and co-director of the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia University in Montreal, produced the film. He also directs the Lost Stories Project and can be reached at: [email protected].