Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre seeks textile donations for upcoming They Are Loved exhibit by artist Tracey-Mae Chambers

The Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre invites community members who have lost a loved one to drug poisoning to contribute textiles for a powerful upcoming installation by artist Tracey-Mae Chambers. The exhibit, titled They Are Loved – an epidemic of grief, runs this spring from May 1 to 31, 2026 and centres the donated materials in the work. 

As a grieving mother and artist, Chambers created They Are Loved to make visible the grief many families experience following deaths caused by drug poisoning. Chambers invites families to share a piece of clothing or fabric that represents their loved one. She cuts each textile into strips and ties them together by hand, creating a growing network of fibres that binds shared pain and honours enduring love.  

Families can take part in two ways: they can contact the artist directly at traceymae@traceymae.com or drop off textiles at the Museum from February 13 to March 31, 2026, at 33 Victoria Street North in Southampton. Families without a textile may also choose one from the artist’s collection to represent their loved one. 

This project is proudly supported by community partners including  National Overdose Response Service (NORS); Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Grey Bruce Mental Health & Addictions Services; Indigenous Services Canada; Mino Bimaadsawin Health Centre; M’Wikwedong Indigenous Friendship Centre; Supportive Outreach Service  (SOS); Grey Bruce Public Health Harm Reduction Team; Chippewas of Nawash Health Centre; Safe N’ Sound Grey Bruce; and 211. 

For more information about the call for textiles, the upcoming exhibition and other Museum events, visit brucemuseum.ca. 

About the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre 

The Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre is situated within the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON). We offer adult and children’s programming, exhibitions, special events and are home to the Bruce County Archives & Research Room. Our mandate is to preserve and make available the documentary heritage of Bruce County. 

About Tracey-Mae Chambers 

I grew up as a stranger to my own story; adopted and re-named, grafted into a new family tree. The discovery in adulthood of my Métis heritage was a revelation that set me on a path of discovery. My developing story is as an Indigenous heritage woman and her quest for harmony with the natural world. I am a proud citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario. Since July 2021, I have created over 150 fibre art installations at residential school historical sites, museums, art galleries, and other public spaces. The goal of this project #hopeandhealingcanada is to bridge the gap between settlers and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people by creating art that is approachable and non-confrontational and starting a conversation about decolonization and reconciliation. In September 2024 I was honoured to be awarded by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, and presented the King Charles III Coronation Medal, for establishing connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples through site-specific art installations that seek to decolonize public spaces. 

I am currently an artist in residence at Harbourfront Centre. I will be creating a body of work addressing the opioid crisis in Canada with a focus on how we approach grief as well as the stigma surrounding mental health of which addiction is a part. In February 2023 there were a recorded 216 opioid related deaths in Ontario. My 23-year-old son Parker was one of those lost. I cannot solve the fundamental causes of the problem of opioid addiction, but I can help to make it a tangible and visceral visual reminder that no one is immune to this issue. This project while memorializing those we have lost will also create a substantial representation of just how many.