Storytelling and Belonging: Building Visibility of Calgary’s Francophone Community

Abstract

This poster presents a thesis research-creation project that investigates how arts-based research can strengthen identity and cohesion within Calgary’s Francophone community in a minority-language urban context. Grounded in the historical legacy of Rouleauville, the city’s former Francophone settlement, the project examines how contemporary residents negotiate belonging in a setting where Francophone presence is often underrecognized.

Using a transdisciplinary approach that brings together anthropology and visual arts, the research mobilizes visual art practice, participatory storytelling, photography, and textile processes as methods of inquiry. Community members are invited to share portraits and personal reflections related to language, migration, memory, and place. These contributions are approached as collaborative forms of knowledge-making that inform the creation of a large-scale textile artwork, which will serve as the central element of a site-specific exhibition at the Docteur Rouleau Residence. Selected works will be preserved through archival strategies and disseminated in a travelling exhibition.

By positioning research-creation as both a spatial and cultural intervention, the project seeks to enhance the visibility of Franco-Calgarian experiences and contribute to broader discussions on arts-based participatory research, community cohesion, and minority presence within evolving urban narratives.