A Saskatoon-based First Nations artist and students from St. Anne School in Saskatoon have worked together to complete an Indigenous-themed mural.
“We set out to explore Indigenous culture and their views of the land and their connection to land and to represent that visually as a school in a large mural,” says St. Anne School Vice-Principal Carol Engel. “It’s just a beautiful legacy for our school.”
Work on the project began on Feb. 26, when each student from the school was given the opportunity to provide input for the mural.
Saskatoon-based artist Kevin Pee-ace then worked with the students to turn their ideas into the final product.
The mural was also completed with the help of a grant from the Saskatchewan Arts Board.
“It was wonderful,” says Engel. “I would like to recognize the Saskatchewan Arts Board for their support. We saw the grant as an opportunity to work with artist Kevin Pee-ace to co-create a mural honouring the students’ understanding of the reciprocal relationship with the land through the teachings of elders and knowledge keepers. It is an enduring reminder of our students’ journey that we hope will be a legacy piece for the school for many years to come. We are so pleased that we got to work with Kevin. He’s a real treasure and he’s so great with kids.”
The mural is in the school’s library.
(PHOTO: The mural. Photo supplied by Derrick Kunz.)