Christi Belcourt and Isaac Murdoch create mural for MacEwan University
The work celebrates water, life and womanhood.
Renowned artists Christi Belcourt and Isaac Murdoch have created a unique, large-scale painting for MacEwan University’s kihêw waciston Indigenous Centre.
Ms. Belcourt and Mr. Murdoch came to paint the mural while travelling across the country to raise funds with Onaman Collective, an Indigenous artist group to which they both belong. The artists posted on Facebook that they were looking for commissions to help support Nimkii Aazhibikong, an Ojibway-language camp put on by the group. Terri Suntjens, MacEwan’s director of Indigenous initiatives, jumped at the prospect.
“They happened to be in Edmonton looking for a project and within 10 minutes, Terri booked them to come to our space,” said Keestin O’Dell, student engagement adviser at the centre. “They did the painting here, but I like to think that the feel of the painting, the feel of our centre and the feel of our community went into that painting as well.”
The artwork, a five-foot by nine-foot acrylic painting on canvas, took about a week to complete. It symbolizes water, life and womanhood – themes that both artists revisit often in their work. Mr. Murdoch, who hails from Serpent River First Nation in Northern Ontario, and Ms. Belcourt, who is Ontario-raised Michif with ties to the Manitou Sakhigan (Lac Ste. Anne) community in central Alberta, painted the piece together. “Thunderbird woman [on the left] is Isaac’s image,” Ms. Belcourt explained. “She’s an iconic image that has been seen at Standing Rock and all around the world. People have embraced that image as a symbol of strength and resiliency. The other image of the woman [on the right] is my drawing and that’s a symbol beyond motherhood. It’s a symbol of protection of babies and the next ones to come.”
Mr. O’Dell, who hails from Frog Lake, Alberta, said the mural is also a good representation of the Indigenous student population at MacEwan, where approximately 1,500 students out of 20,000 identify as Indigenous and most Indigenous students are women. “The painting is talking about not only water and how water is life, but also motherhood and that cycle as well,” Mr. O’Dell said. “We’re celebrating Indigenous women and talking about them [as] the leaders of our community.” He added that he hopes the mural will serve as a sign of hope and as inspiration.
Featured Jobs
- Fashion - Instructional Assistant/Associate Professor (Creative & Cultural Industries)Chapman University - Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
- Economics - Associate/Full Professor of TeachingThe University of British Columbia
- Public Policy - JW McConnell Visiting ScholarMcGill University
- Vice-President Research & Scientific EngagementMS Canada
- Public Policy - JW McConnell Professor of Practice McGill University
More from News
-
Headlines for December 6, 2024
CBC NewsQuebec adopts bill to restrict international student enrolmentUniversities, opposition worry about Bill 74 undermining academic autonomy. CTV NewsUWindsor lands amongst top research universities in CanadaThe University of Windsor has been named one of the top research universities...
-
Headlines for December 5, 2024
City NewsOttawa outlines $2B in spending for artificial intelligence computing powerThe federal government says it will spend up to $1 billion to build public computing infrastructure for the Canadian artificial intelligence sector, part of a $2 billion...
-
Headlines for December 4, 2024
CNW NewsFederal government establishes council to deliver Canada's first National Infrastructure AssessmentSean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, announced the new Canadian Infrastructure Council, an expert advisory body that will deliver the country's first-ever National...
-
New life for Dimensions
A little over a year after the program was quietly shut down, it has been quietly revived.
More from Equity
-
Using human agency principles to support unprecedented decision-making in higher education
Reframing rear-view thinking to create a fair, inclusive and transformative future.
-
EDI progress being made at Canadian institutions, but clear goals still lacking
‘We need to understand that postsecondary institutions weren’t built for diversity in the first place,’ says panel chair.
-
Can higher education support the bridge to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion?
Welcome back to season 2 of The Many Faces.
-
Inclusion is not a passing trend
Senior administrators and university boards need to do a better job setting up Black leaders for success.
More from Articles
-
Take part in UA’s gender equity survey
Help promote strategies towards meaningful change.
-
Engaging the public in sidewalk astronomy
The #popscope project energizes public spaces through experiential, free-choice learning.
-
New zine developed by OCAD U students helps artists perfect the art of tabling
‘The goal was to create something both practical and visually engaging,’ says one of the creators.
-
Quebec universities concerned about losing their autonomy
Ottawa has tightened the belt on international student admissions in Canada. Now Quebec wants to implement further changes, but universities are worried the Legault government might go too far.
Post a comment
University Affairs moderates all comments according to the following guidelines. If approved, comments generally appear within one business day. We may republish particularly insightful remarks in our print edition or elsewhere.