The Dewdney Avenue Project (2007-2008), a Common Weal Community Arts initiative, was a multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary art project that engaged individuals and organizations housed within the neighborhood of North Central Regina in discussion and interaction around notions of site, circumstance and voice, in relation to the history of the geographical space now known as the city of Regina. We chose Dewdney Avenue as a starting and focal point for the project because of its geographic, social, economic and historical significance within the city of Regina.
In the late 19th century, Edgar Dewdney became active in Colonial politics, representing the electoral district of Kootenay in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. After British Columbia joined the Canadian confederation in 1871, he served as a Conservative Member of Parliament for the riding of Yale. He was appointed a member of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald’s cabinet in 1879, where he served as Indian commissioner for the Northwest Territories until 1888.
In 1881 Macdonald arranged Dewdney’s appointment as Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories. Dewdney resigned his seat in the Commons, but remained Indian commissioner during his term as Lieutenant Governor, which lasted until 1888. Responsible government had not been granted to the Northwest Territories, so Dewdney was the Territories’ head of government. Perhaps Dewdney’s most notable decision in office was changing the territorial capital in 1883 from Battleford to present day Regina – a featureless location without water, trees, or topography, but a site where he had secured substantial real estate for himself adjacent to the Canadian Pacific railway line.
A major east-west artery in the city of Regina, Dewdney Avenue is named after him. Government House, the original Territorial government building and the local detachment of the RCMP and national training centre are on Dewdney Avenue, as is a significant portion of North Central Regina, recently deemed “Canada’s Worst Neighbourhood” by Maclean’s Magazine. Bordered by the CN and CP railways, and major arteries including Albert Street, the Lewvan and Dewdney Avenue, the neighbourhood of North Central provides our community with a set of unique challenges, experiences and personal and collective histories.
For the Dewdney Avenue Project, there were multiple streams of programming – video, audio, visual, voice, and interdisciplinary. Community partners for the entire project included the South Saskatchewan Independent Living Centre, the North Central Community Association, Neutral Ground, Soil Digital Media Suite, Women of the Dawn, Scott Collegiate, and the Saskatchewan Cultural Exchange Society.
Project artists included: Cheryl L'Hirondelle, Edward Poitras and Terrance Houle.
