Willowbank to Host Red Dress Exhibit and Unveiling of Canada’s First MMIWG2S+ Teardrop Cairn

Queenston, ON — May 4 & 5, 2025

Please join us at Willowbank School of Restoration and the Love Garden for two days of remembrance, community gathering, and cultural truth as we honour the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ relatives.

This sacred time together will include the unveiling of the MMIWG2S+ Teardrop Cairn—a national first. Built by master dry stone waller Dean McLellan, this Cairn has been a community vision since 2020, broke ground in 2022, and will be unveiled on Monday, May 5. Crowned with a crystal and rooted in love, the Cairn offers a permanent place of reflection and remembrance. It will be open to the community at Willowbank for generations to come.

A Haunting Return: If Only These Dresses Could Tell Their Story

For two days only, the powerful Red Dress Exhibit returns—this time, suspended in stillness but not in silence—within the halls of the historic Willowbank Estate, a Greek Revival mansion built in 1834, during a time of settler colonization. The juxtaposition of these empty, flowing dresses—each representing a stolen life—with the colonial architecture they inhabit invites deep reflection and dialogue.

Each dress symbolizes a Missing or Murdered Indigenous Woman, Girl, or 2SLGBTQIA+ loved ones. Through atmospheric soundscapes and audio stories, the installation offers a space to remember, to witness, and to awaken. This is not just an exhibit. It is a call to action. A space of truth-telling. A collective remembering.

Event Schedule

Willowbank School of Restoration & Love Garden 14487 Niagara Parkway, Queenston, ON L0S 1L0

SUNDAY, MAY 4 | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

• Red Dress Exhibit opens inside the Willowbank House
• Sacred Fire with Fred Bowering
• Rock Painting & Guided Garden Tours
• Vendors & Crafters in the Lodge
• Singers throughout the day
• Snacks & Refreshments for sale
• Raffle for the Strawberry Red Dress Drum and other prizes

MONDAY, MAY 5 | 6:00 AM – 3:00 PM

• Sunrise Ceremony with Grandmother Jackie Labonte
• Sacred Fire with Fred Bowering
• Red Dress Exhibit continues
• Unveiling of the MMIWG2S+ Teardrop Cairn
• Guest Speakers & Jingle Dancers
• Vendors & Crafts in the Lodge
• Rock Painting & Garden Tours

Admission to the exhibit is Pay-What-You-May, and all proceeds support the creation of the MMIW Cairn Reflection Area and future awareness and healing events. Raffle proceeds will also go directly toward this initiative.

Presented in partnership with Kakekalanicks, De dwa da dehs nye Aboriginal Health Centre, Willowbank School of Restoration and the Love Garden, this event stands as a testament to truth, justice, and Indigenous resilience.

Come. Bear witness. Remember.

For Media Inquiries or Further Information, Please Contact:

Michele-Elise Burnett Kakekalanicks, meburnett16@gmail.com

Marie Bowering The Love Garden, Marie.Bowering@ncdsb.com

Katie Houghton Willowbank School of Restoration Arts, katie.houghton@willowbank.ca