THUNDER BAY - People will have another beautiful sight to see at the top of Mount McKay; this one, in the form of local artwork.
It’s the final workshop for a group of young artists with Neechee Studio, who have teamed up with Fort William First Nation and Anemki Art Collective to make it possible.
The work started on Monday, and despite the weather slowing down the progress, the group was able to finish at the end of the week.
“These grounds are really sacred, so in the wintertime we wanted a colour that pops,” said local artist Cynthia Edwards.
Students were asked to think about what connects them to the land, and find artistic inspiration through that theme.
The result is a vibrant building filled with an array of bright colours and powerful images.
“We were mindful of people that come up here and why they come up here,” Edwards said.
Blake Evans is a visual arts student from Lakehead University, and said the program is a good way of stretching his artistic walls.
“In the program at Lakehead it’s more of traditional arts,” Evans said. “With Neechee Studios I’ve been able to learn basketry, birch-bark making, and porcupine embroidery.”
Evans said graffiti is an urban contemporary artform that he’s learned outside of school, but it has managed to unite the artists.
“There was an existing mural here before but it was done a long time ago,” Evans said. “We wanted something that’s more fresh and give the perspective of the youth.”
Local artist Cynthia Edwards said she wanted to be apart of the painting in order to be closer to the Fort William community.
Though the 24-year-old describes herself as a “self-taught” artist, she said the collaborative effort has been rewarding.
“In time we realized where we wanted to go,” Edwards said. “We were thinking of love, community, and connectedness.”
Abby Pelletier, a youth worker with Fort William First Nation, helped facilitate the involvement of some artists, and said she was pleased with the result.
“I’m really happy I was a part of this,” Pelletier said. “I feel like I’ve been more in touch with the arts and culture throughout this project.”
