Christopher He: Echoes in the Bloom

Waterloo Public Library

Christopher He, Echoes in the Bloom, 2025. Courtesy of the artist.

Echoes in the Bloom

October 14 – December 11, 2025
Waterloo Public Library – Main Library, Waterloo

Waterloo Public Library is hosting Echoes in the Bloom, an installation by artist Christopher He, at the Main Library this fall. The installation brings together more than 300 ceramic and paper poppies created by community members from across the Region of Waterloo.

Echoes in the Bloom is an art installation created for Remembrance Every Day, a nationwide exhibition organized by the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the World War II. Using two different sizes of poppies to represent the dits and dahs in Morse code, the arrangement encodes lines of poetry, reflecting on memory, resilience, and the strength found in collective acts of making.

Christopher He, Echoes in the Bloom, 2025. Courtesy of the artist.

The exhibition is on view now through December 11, 2025, in the atrium of the Main Library, as part of this year’s Remembrance Day Commemorative Project.

The artist acknowledges the generous support of the Ontario Arts Council, the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, St. John’s-Kilmarnock School, and other community organizations and individuals.

About the Artist

Christopher He is a mixed-media artist based in Waterloo, Ontario. Working across ceramics, printmaking, and sound, He’s practice explores memory, culture, and everyday rituals through both functional and sculptural forms. He also leads community-engaged projects and has exhibited in galleries and public spaces across Canada.

Also On View

From Earth to Flame: Indigenous Ceramics and Glass
June 12 – October 2025

Indigenous ceramics and glassworks carry a deep and vibrant history, reflecting the rich cultural traditions of communities across Canada. The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is honoured to present a selection of contemporary works by Indigenous artists, showcasing their skill and storytelling through clay and glass. This exhibition highlights three distinct groups: Kangirlliniq (Rankin Inlet) ceramics, Talking Earth Pottery, and contemporary Indigenous glass art.

Each piece in this exhibition presents a story—of heritage, of place, and of artistic excellence. Together, they celebrate the talent and innovation of Indigenous artists working in clay and glass today.

About Waterloo Public Library

Waterloo Public Library (WPL) has been serving the City of Waterloo since 1876. With a vast collection of books, digital resources, engaging programs and welcoming spaces, we foster a love of reading and inspire lifelong learning. Discover a world of endless possibilities at Waterloo Public Library.

Waterloo Public Library is located on the Haldimand Tract, land granted to the Haudenosaunee of the Six Nations of the Grand River. It is situated within the ancestral territory of the Anishnaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral people who may have called themselves Chonnonton. These first people cared for the land on which we gather for many generations before European settlement.

As an organization that exists to make public spaces, credible resources and opportunities for learning available to everyone, the library is active in the work of truth and reconciliation. Preserving, amplifying and celebrating Indigenous stories is an important part of the work we do.

We commit to the daily work of reconciliation. This means learning and decision-making that recognizes the ongoing impact of colonialism as well as reflection, partnership and action that can make reconciliation possible.

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Image Descriptions:
1. Hundreds of red poppy flowers made of clay being displayed on grassy ground
2. Rows of red poppy flowers made of ceramics and paper on strings hung from a railing at an atrium

Special thanks to the St. John’s-Kilmarnock School, Meii Studio, and Sabrina of Nostalgia Ceramics for organizing community workshops.

The Remembrance Every Day exhibition is organized by the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, with support from MILD Foundation, Veterans Affairs Canada, Rotary Club of Waterloo, Kitchener Conestoga Rotary Club, City of Waterloo Arts Grant, Waterloo Region Community Foundation Community Grant, In Memory of SFC Frank Vera, In Memory of RCAF Flying Officer W.E. Short.

This project received funding from the Ontario Arts Council.