In February, the Centre for Human Rights Research (CHRR) and the School of Fine Art Students’ Association (SOFASA) held an Art Competition for University of Manitoba students.
Students were asked to submit up to two pieces of artwork related to the CHRR’s research themes for the chance to receive an honorarium, determined by the CARFAC-RAAV Minimum Recommended Fee Schedule, and have their art featured on the CHRR’s website and promotional material.
The CHRR’s research themes are:
• Borders & Human Rights
• Indigenous Peoples & Human Rights
• Water Rights & Justice
• Reproductive & Bodily Justice
The following students and their artwork were selected as the competition winners for their technique, creativity, and alignment with the CHRR’s research themes.
‘Surrounded Together’ by Hanna Briscoe
‘Surrounded Together’ by Hanna Briscoe responds to Call of Action #23, which calls upon all levels of government to increase the number of Indigenous professionals working in the healthcare field, ensure the retention of Indigenous healthcare providers in Indigenous communities, and provide cultural competency training for all healthcare professionals. To reflect her feelings and awareness, Hanna created an artwork on canvas. She drew Indigenous women doctors, nurses, and leaders. Hanna was also studying Mohawk Indigenous artist Shelly Niro, so she included Shelly and her mother in the artwork. These women are in a circle, demonstrating strength and that Indigenous women are strong members of society. This highlights their rights to work in the healthcare system and that they should have the same respect and ability as anyone else. ‘Surrounded Together’ was made with canvas, copic markers, posca pens, and white gel pens.
Hanna is an interdisciplinary artist currently completing her undergraduate in Fine Arts at the University of Manitoba. Her mediums include drawing, painting, and printmaking. In her spare time, she loves to take her dog, Kobe, on walks.
‘Echoes of Freedom’ by Progga Protity
‘Echoes of Freedom’ by Progga Protity delves into the tension between freedom and restriction, symbolized by geometric birds confined within circular boundaries. While birds traditionally embody migration and hope, their enclosure mirrors the rigid barriers of borders, immigration policies, and displacement. The structured rectangles in the background contrast with the organic flight of the birds, representing the systems that confine and control movement. Through fragmented lines and disrupted motion, the piece highlights the struggles of those seeking asylum and a better future, questioning the limits imposed on human rights and freedom of movement.
As an artist from Bangladesh and a psychology major with a sociology minor, Progga’s work is deeply influenced by the societal structures she has observed growing up—where oppression and restriction shape everyday life. Art, in its many forms—traditional, digital, motion—serves as her medium to explore and challenge these constraints.
‘Whirlpool’ by Alex Halipchuk
‘Whirlpool’ by Alex Halipchuk represents how one may feel in our current political climate, especially as a woman or a queer person. The suffocating and imminent threat of rights being revoked, the whirlwind of news – this piece represents the anxiety we all feel.
Alex is a transgender artist from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is in his first year of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the University of Manitoba’s School of Art. Through his artwork, often hailed as violent, he expresses feelings of dread and anger toward the western world.
‘Better Settler’ by Susie Penner
Inspired by ‘Be a Better Settler’ by Lani Zastre, ‘Better Settler’ by Susie Penner features a traditional Anabaptist folk art style known as Fraktur Art. An homage to the artist’s Old Order Mennonite roots, ‘Bettler Settler’ conveys Zastre’s title as a commandment in a style usually reserved for biblical scripture. This artwork was created as a final project for an Indigenous Art History course led by Leah Fontaine at the University of Manitoba’s School of Art. Students were tasked with creating artwork in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action. ‘Bettler Settler’ is a response to Calls to Action 48 and 49. ‘Better Settler’ was made with gouache and India ink on bristol board.
Susie is a visual artist of Mennonite settler descent who resides on Treaty One territory in rural Manitoba. Her work explores the deconstruction of narratives through sculpture and mixed media. She is a third-year student at the School of Art Bachelor of Fine Arts Studio Program at the University of Manitoba.
The CHRR and SOFASA thank Hanna, Progga, Alex, and Susie for submitting their beautiful and thoughtful artwork. The CHRR recognizes the critical connection between artwork and human rights advocacy, so we are excited to be able to share these pieces and promote student artists!
Funding for the Student Art Competition winners’ honorariums was provided by the University of Manitoba Strategic Initiatives Support Fund and the Centre for Human Rights Research.
