�鶹��Ƶ

In a recent personal essay, journalist Vida Foubister gives a heartfelt account of the days, weeks and years following the passing of her brother, artist David Murton Foubister, in 1996.

David, who was 25 at the time of his death, left behind an informal archive of drawings, paintings and writings. These works, Vida writes, point to what had been an enduring aspiration for David — to attend art school and develop his practice.

“His dream was to become an Emily Carr student and complete a degree in the arts, something he shared with me when we would meet for coffee, long walks on the beach, or dinner, and one that was reiterated in lists of ambitions he meticulously recorded in his journals and portfolios,” Vida writes.

The works David left behind also led Vida on a journey into David’s distant past. Twenty-three years after his passing, Vida scoured the web to find and reconnect with members of David’s Cree birth family (David had been adopted at two years old), a previous foster family and a number of old friends. Such connections had eluded her prior to the advent of social media.

Through these conversations, Vida discovered how important artwork had been to all of David’s relationships.

“Many of those who had known him sent me photos of drawings he had made in pencil, ink or pastel,” she writes. “Carefully executed works on large thick pages torn from coiled portfolios, doodles in journals they had held onto from high school, and simply executed figures, some with text, on scraps of paper.”

From these many works, and others she collected from his room and their family home, Vida assembled a virtual exhibition, “curated by those who were touched by him and others, including his birth siblings, who were ‘meeting him’ for the first time.”

In 2018, Vida and her husband decided to create a scholarship for Indigenous students at Emily Carr University after a few long distance calls with Eva Bouchard, Manager, Major Gifts + Fund Development, and Brenda Crabtree Director of Aboriginal Programs and Special Advisor to the President on Indigenous Initiatives at �鶹��Ƶ. They learned about the extraordinary work being done by the Aboriginal Gathering Place (AGP), including ongoing programs such as EAGLE, Sharing Circles and Aboriginal Material Practice Workshops and, as their relationship with the school has continued to grow, about more recent initiatives such as the Community Totem Pole project, the Mass Culture Research in Residence project and this summer’s Meymey’em International Indigenous Artist Gathering and , which saw renowned and emerging Indigenous artists from around the world visit Emily Carr to learn, teach, share and create.

Vida and her husband note they are grateful for the opportunity to “support the AGP’s tireless efforts to create a supportive and culturally appropriate educational space through a scholarship for Indigenous students who otherwise might not have the resources to attend Emily Carr.”

The first two recipients of the annual were announced in fall, 2021.

“None of this would have happened without David’s curiosity and creativity, his natural and self-developed talent, and ultimately his belief in art to change his life and the lives of others,” Vida writes.

“I am honoured to support the education of Indigenous students who, like my brother, experience our shared world through art. It is truly through the art of others that our hearts can be opened to new insights and ideas.”

Read Vida’s full story now via the Donor News page on �鶹��Ƶ’s website. Find out more about the Aboriginal Gathering Place . Visit �鶹��Ƶ’s Financial Aid + Awards page to learn about the full range of funding available for students of Emily Carr University.