PEOPLE WERE
DEFACING OUR COMMUNITY
AUGUST 23
2012
In the heat
of the mid-day, artists from St. Mary’s First Nation are creating massive
mosaics under the Two Nations Crossing overpass.
Once there
were swastikas, demonic symbols, racist words and other hate-filled things
spray-painted there.
Angie Beek
was bothered by what she saw. She suggested something needed to be done about
it. Others such as Elsie Paul agreed.
“It was
shameful. People were defacing our community. It was unpleasant. We have the
entertainment centre here and a lot of people coming through this area and this
is what they had to see. It just wasn’t nice,” said Paul.
Beek asked
the St. Mary’s First Nations community planner, Allan Polchies Jr., if money
could be provided for art supplies and to pay local artists. St. Mary’s First
Nation has a summer program that provides funding for beautification projects.
The overpass was viewed as something that needed attention, he said.
“I thought
since we have great artists in the community, we should get the kids involved
and do an art mural on that concrete to showcase our artists and get young
people involved so they would take ownership of it so there would be no more
graffiti there,” Polchies said.
St. Mary’s
First Nation and St. Mary’s Entertainment Centre donated $2,000, so far, for
art supplies and stipends for the artists, he said.
The money
made it possible for artists April Paul, Tom Sappier and Beek to work with the
community’s youths and other volunteers to paint a much better picture here.
The racist graffiti has been wiped clean with a fresh coat of white paint.
When the
work began, Elsie Paul said, there was a concern that someone would return to
tag the walls with more graffiti. That hasn’t happened.
Over top of
the clean canvass is the work of several artists. For two weeks they have been
there. Using small brushes, they are painstakingly applying colourful acrylic
paint to the corrugated, concrete walls. The artists are working all day and
into the evening to finish.
April Paul,
who teaches native art at both of the city’s high schools, said she is really
enjoying this project despite having to work with carpel tunnel syndrome and
tendonitis.
“We need it.
I teach all of the kids around here. I am hoping when the kids see me they know
not to do the graffiti here because they all respect me.”
April Paul
said she expects to continue her work here over the next two weeks. Now the
walls have images of a dream catcher, a canoe, turtles, arrow heads, eagles,
feathers and fiddleheads which honour and represent Maliseet heritage and
culture.
Sappier is
working on the opposite side of the overpass. He is also using a small artist’s
brush to create a massive eagle and other images. The work he is doing is all
coming to him intuitively, he said.
“It’s a
chance to have some fun. I think it will take me another four days.”
As they
work, cars slow down and watch what they’re doing. Some drivers smile and wave.
Others give a thumbs up to indicate their approval and appreciation of what’s
happening. The project is being embraced by both those who live there and
visitors.
“People have
been dropping by with coffee and pop. They have offered to come and help us
paint. They seem to like it. We are hoping that no one comes and tags over
this,” said Beek.
When the
murals are finished, there’s a plan to bring benches and large pots of flowers.
This is reason to celebrate the creation of something beautiful, said Elsie
Paul.
“Maybe we’ll
have a little block party here,” she said.
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