One of the projects of the youth’s Winnipeg Foundation Walking Together Grant is almost ready for public viewing!
After more than a year of conversations and dreaming by the youth grant team, the mural host church, and potential artists, a wonderful painting is ready to be installed at Harrow United Church. The artists, Jeannie Whitebird and Charlie Johnston, who have collaborated on other paintings, such as the grouping of paintings on City Hall, make a great team. Charlie brings about 30 years of mural painting experience, while Jeannie who is newer to mural painting brings an Indigenous perspective, with connections to elders as well her personal learnings and experience of Indigenous tradition, history and culture. Their art form is a means to work in a good way towards reconciliation.
On February 26th they welcomed 9 young artists, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to their studio to workshop with them, learn a bit about mural artistry, and immerse themselves in the process. It was fabulous to watch!
Since then an elder and a couple more youth from Jeannie’s community of Rolling River First Nation, were also added into the process and the painting. We hope to gather all of those involved together in the coming weeks to build on their experiences of collaboration and reconciliation.
We hope you will all be excited to join us in the unveiling of the mural, which has now been rescheduled to Sunday, May 28th, late afternoon. This will be a chance to see the painting, meet the artists, Elders and youth and to hear a bit about the process and the hopes and dreams for this project.
