Artist Krystle Silverfox Explores Sixties Scoop History

A new multimedia exhibition uses archival welfare records to examine the legacy of the Sixties Scoop in Canada.

Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Scrapbooking

Bold flat-color editorial illustration featuring redacted archival paper and beads, symbolizing the historical trauma of Canada's Sixties Scoop. — Artist Krystle Silverfox explores the trauma of Canada's Sixties Scoop through a new exhibition featuring redacted child welfare archival records. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Artist Krystle Silverfox of the Selkirk First Nation Wolf Clan has unveiled an exhibition titled Apprehension. The work features her mother's child welfare records from the Sixties Scoop, which occurred during the 1960s.

Why it matters

The exhibition highlights the personal and collective trauma of the Sixties Scoop by surfacing once-hidden bureaucratic documents. It provides a unique lens through which to view historical state intervention in Indigenous family life.

The exhibition incorporates original archival documents from the 1960s alongside contemporary beadwork. These pieces preserve handwritten notes and headlines from government files.

The players

Krystle Silverfox

She is an artist representing the Selkirk First Nation Wolf Clan.

The details

Silverfox meticulously redacts sensitive names, locations, and events within the archival documents using lines of coloured beads. The installation pairs these modified official family records with additional physical art pieces.

The Sixties Scoop took place during the 1960s.

Culture Shift

This exhibition follows a pattern set by the Sixties Scoop by re-examining the state policies that defined that historical period. It signals a growing trend of artists reclaiming bureaucratic archives to critique systemic institutional practices.

Visitors can engage with the exhibition to better understand the intersection of family history and state-level policy. It encourages a deeper look at the tangible legacy of the 1960s on present-day Indigenous identity and record-keeping.

The takeaway

This work demonstrates how artists can transform rigid government documentation into meaningful, personal narratives. Readers interested in their own history can consider how preserving family documents with a creative touch helps reconcile complex past experiences.