Campbell Heritage: Finding Heritage

When I asked each of my grandparents about their origins, neither of them were that interested in it. At least not in the way that my sisters and I are. Maybe it's a millennial/GEN Z thing, or maybe it's simply a Canadian thing. Growing up as a Canadian, I just accepted that even though my family immigrated to Canada generations ago, from many different countries, I am just a Canadian. Cultural identity is important for many reasons, but most importantly for self-identity. It gives a person a sense of home and belonging. For a long time, I felt because of my skin colour, I didn't have the right to feel uncertain about my heritage and maybe even a little ashamed. However, due to my persistent curiosity, I am determined to put aside these feelings and be confident in my uncertainty. Everyone and everything with a past has a heritage, and they are all extremely important.

For a while now my life has revolved around studying art and culture and the meaning of heritage. I’ve learned that cultural heritage can be broken into three sections; artifacts, the natural environment, and the built environment. All three of these we each experience daily and most of the time go unrecognized and/or under-appreciated. My studies at Willowbank have made sure I pay attention to heritage in all forms. It’s taught me the importance of restoration and reuse and most importantly the strength in authenticity. I’m hoping Campbell Heritage will be a great addition to my personal, on-going case study of cultural heritage.