In the late 1990s, Vancouvers Downtown Eastside became the setting for three monuments – Crab Park Boulder, Marker of Change, and Standing with Courage, Strength and Pride. The monuments were grassroots initiatives that challenged the norms of civic art by claiming a place in public space for societys most vulnerable groups, and each figured in debates about many kinds of violence. Emphasizing the resilience and agency of artists, activists, and residents, this vivid account of the creation of memory-scapes offers unique insights into the links between power, public space, and social memory. It asks us to reconsider what constitutes public art that will “speak for a long time.”
Preface
Part 1: Act
Marker of Change/ ? l’aube du changement
CRAB Park Boulder
Standing with Courage, Strength and Pride
Part 2: Frame
Public Space, Social Order an
