La Survivance examines the duality of cultural identity that migrants face when moving to a new place. How can one both assimilate to survive, while holding on to their dislocated cultural identity? When French Canadian migrants headed south to the United States starting in the 1890s, a narrative emerged that they were coming to take jobs from other workers. These rumors went a step further, and it was reported that these migrants would eventually take over New England with the help of Québec, turning it into New France. The reality was that these French Canadians came to find work, and were subjected to low wages and difficult labor, a majority of them in textile mills. Bates Mill in Lewiston, Maine was one of these places. A community blossomed there, and many tried to keep their language, customs, and culture preserved even in the face of hardships. 

In this piece I use two photographs found in the Franco-American Collection of the University of Southern Maine Libraries and the Maine Historical Society printed on cotton cloth, in blue and white to mirror the colors of the flag of Québec, in three different stages of decay. On one side, we see a scene from one of the last celebrations of Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Lewiston. Each year, a young boy from the community was chosen to play St. Jean complete with a sheep and sheepskin outfit. This holiday is and was a large part of French Canadian culture, and in Lewiston, the festivities were large, and always in French. On the other side, young boys line up to be photographed, misspelling the word America and holding up American flags. This was likely part of an Americanization class in which immigrants were taught English and about American culture. The letters are highlighted with red, symbolic of both the red in the Canadian and American flag seeping into the back, while simultaneously highlighting the absurdity of trying to “Americanize” a person. The pictures start crisp and clear but continue to fade until the image is almost intelligible, much like the degradation of cultural identity that can occur when in a new place.