Fran Benton “Dad’s War”
October 26 to
November 13, 2022
Dad’s War is a project about archives. It is an interpretation of the archive of my parent’s experiences in the Second World War. It is also a shared memory of stories, objects, and images about the war. As an artist who works with found materials,
I look for materials to work with that have a history. I wondered whether to give myself permission to turn my attention to something as sacred as my own family’s war archive.
I decided I could work with it if I did it with respect. I layered and overlapped the war images with images from other times and places. I abstracted imagery where
I thought it worked.
Dad’s War is an installation of drawings, paintings, sculpture,
and a video. It also has a public 
engagement component, where the public is invited to contribute to a community art floor installation that is part of the exhibit. If you are interested in contributing to the community art component, please read “Contribute to the Show” below.
Veteran’s Stories
Video from Cowichan Valley Exhibit
Contribute to the Show
One part of the project involves letters written from soldiers to their families. Would you like to contribute to this piece? You will alter a fabric hankie provided with text or images from your personal war archives or your research. Write, stitch, paint or quilt a message from the Canadian Letters and Images Project.
Artists may embellish the hankie as they wish but can’t change the size, as it needs to fit into the floor piece. The hankie becomes a permanent part of the work either as a resource or in the installation.
If you are interested, you may pick up one of the fabric hankies and instructions from the Cedar Hill Recreation and Arts Centre or contact Saanich Community Arts Programmer Brenda Weatherston at Brenda.weatherston@saanich.ca or 250 475-5557 to pick one up from Saanich Community Services at Saanich municipal Hall. After you complete it, you would return it to Cedar Hill Reception or to Brenda Weatherston, who will provide them to the artist for placement in the floor piece of the exhibit.
Accessibility: Accessible washrooms, Wheelchair access, Designated handyDART loading zone and disabled parking stalls.
For inquiries related to exhibitions, please contact Brenda Weatherston at brenda.weatherston@saanich.ca or 250 475-5557.