Community Art Projects

2022 Community Vinyl Mural Projects

Central Library Mural - Maka Unci (Mother Earth). Designed by Megan Currie, X-ing Design 

Sherwood Village Branch Mural – The Matriarchs. Designed by Creative Display with images by Esperanza Sanchez Espitia 
 In celebration of Dunlop Art Gallery’s 60th anniversary, artists Kris Alvarez and Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway with guidance from Elder Brenda Dubois, facilitated a series of intergenerational dialogues to consider the past 60 years and the next 60 years of the city, Dunlop Art Gallery, and Regina Public Library. The conversations informed the creation of a new mural artwork, installed on Dunlop Art Gallery’s outer gallery walls at Central Library and Sherwood VillageBranch. Inspired by the artwork of Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway and designed by Megan Currie, the mural at Central Library, titled Maka Unci, honours Mother Earth, the interrelation of land, animals, insects, trees, plants, grasses, and roots which sustain and protect us, and of which we are a part.  

At Sherwood Village Branch, the mural The Matriarchs, designed by Creative Display and featuring photographs and artwork by Esperanza Sanchez Espitia and Joely BigEagle Kequahtooway, celebrates individuals from many cultures and paths, who took part in the visioning session, and who have contributed so much to our community.  They are surrounded by crocus plants and the prairie landscape which nurtures us. 

The project collaborators include:  Elder Faye Sioux John, Stacey Fayant, Carol LaFayette-Boyd, Jayda Delorme, Brii LaPlante, Shay McArthur, Kendra Kembel, and Esperanza Sanchez Espitia  

Reflections

Brenda Dubois: The mural honours the land we inherently share. It reflects the respect of the Buffalo, and the trust of this place we call Oskana Ka asateki (Pile of Bones, Regina).  It honours relationships of The Matriarchs, and human connection to land, in balance with our shared kin: Mother Earth, Father Sky, Grandmother Moon, Grandfather Sun. 

Brenda Dubois is a mother and grandmother (kokum), from Muscowpetung First Nation. She has worked extensively in the areas of Child welfare, Human justice and environmental issues. She is an advocate for education and vulnerable peoples. Brenda believes that practicing culture and traditions is important for people to continually learn and evolve. She has contributed to many community building initiatives including Northern Survival Gathering, Peyakowak, Family Support Centre, and the Randall Kinship Centre. 

Esperanza Sanchez Espitia: The Community Mural Project was created as a collective artistic process that opens a window to immerse the public in the vibrant and diverse community of Regina. It will remind us of our present and ancestral roots. This mural adds the colours, the matriarchal wisdom, and the knowledge of a culture that fights harder to preserve identity lost in the middle of a long chain of colonialist history. This mural is now a visual story that can be seen by present and future generations. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. It is a public space in which everyone should feel represented. This mural is also a sign that will last and give a message that can be received long after the event of this opening is finished. This mural gives me a sense of belonging to an artistic community that makes me feel at home. 

Esperanza Sanchez Espitia is a Regina- based storyteller and filmmaker. She has an international background as an Indigenous photojournalist. Esperanza’s work is primarily focused on defending Indigenous Ancestral Culture. 

Stacey Fayant: I have lived in Regina my whole life and have often felt that the Metis experience is unseen and unheard in the wider Regina community. I look back on the visiting and talking we all did while developing these community murals with joy. We were each given a chance to share our experience, our memories and our knowledge. Coming together as a group to listen and learn from each other was a gift and having an opportunity to share memories of my late father and of my life in this community opened up my heart. It is through sharing stories that we connect to people and develop understanding and empathy. These murals reflect these visits and illustrate the connections that were made during our interactions.  

Stacey Fayant is Metis, Nehiyaw, and Saulteaux on her dad’s side and French on her mom’s side. She has lived her entire life in Regina and is an artist. Both her parents were creative as she grew up and taught her to speak up for what is good and right and never settle for unfair circumstances. 

Kendra Kembel: When I reflect on the time spent on the Community Murals project these words bubble up: 

Breath, connection, resilience 

Listen, respond, engage 

Embodiment, laughter, healing 

Sharing time and space with such an insightful and creative group of women was meaningful at many levels. The project felt as though it is held in a web of strength and compassion. There was deep listening and personal sharing, but not just our individual stories and reflections, but also responsiveness to community, and what we aspire to fuel and uphold through integrity of spirit here on Treaty 4.   I felt very fortunate to be invited into this exploration and I am moved by the work at the Dunlop Art Gallery. It captures the stories and wisdom of the land, the energy of the past and intentions for the future. The mural also captures and honours the land, the animals and the original Indigenous People of this place. When I see the vibrant colours, the four-legged, the winged creatures that are there, I hear the echoes of the words shared in our gathering times. I feel gratitude for this project and for time toward building relationships through a shared creative goal. 

Kendra Kembel is a healing and movement artist living on Treaty 4 Territory.  Kendra’s professional life is fulfilling and multi-faceted. She offers Reiki, Reflexology, Aromatherapy and yoga as part of her weekly offerings. Kendra was first called to this work in her own personal healing 20 years ago, not too long after completing her BA Hon in Sociology. Kendra’s most recent focus in her practice is on how energy healing can gently and effectively process and clear Intergenerational trauma so that clients can reduce nervous system activation and develop embodied practice for improved health. Kendra has also had a rich connection to dance and celebration of dance via community with the local contemporary dance studio FadaDance. Her involvement with Fada presents itself as parent, dancer, instructor and now as part of the FadaDance Ensemble. 

Carol LaFayette-Boyd: My involvement with the community group collaborating on the Dunlop Art Gallery’s 60th Anniversary project was a very interesting and enriching experience.   It was a privilege and a pleasure to be involved with the diversity of knowledge, experience and age that the women brought to the conversation of what the community looks like and what it looks like going forward.  The thoughtful conversations and hands-on creative explorations were not only enlightening, but fun.  Thank you, Dunlop Art Gallery and participants, for the opportunity to be a contributor to the development of the Mural. I am deeply honoured and grateful to have been a part of the process.   

Carol LaFayette-Boyd trained as a psychiatric nurse and was a registered social worker.  She is retired.  Her father was born in Regina in 1907. His parents had immigrated to Regina from Iowa in 1906.  Her Mother’s family came to Canada from Oklahoma in 1910.  They came to Canada searching for a better life, removed from the racism faced in the United States.  Carol was born on a farm near McGee and now lives in Regina.  Carol is volunteer executive director of the Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum whose goal is to identify and document the history, heritage and contribution of people of African descent in the province of Saskatchewan.  Carol has been involved in volunteer work for most of her lifetime.  She is a Masters Track and Field athlete who has received world class recognition. 

 Margaret Bessai:  Come on in! Arching around the doors to the art gallery, our new mural is a glorious rainbow of colour. Bison graze on the left; there’s a tree on the right. Across the top, the cycles of the moon, swirling leaves, flowers, dragon flies and snowflakes: the seasons. In the roots and leaves of the tree, smiling faces: the people. At the heart of this mural is our community, coming together to celebrate 60 years for RPL Central Library and Dunlop Art Gallery. Interconnected, supporting, and loved. It felt really special to join the mural planning group and share stories, from remembering Ms. Marjorie Dunlop—who dreamed and built a place with free access to art, books, music and film—to talking about our own histories and future. Our hopes for our children and Grandmother Earth. I can’t lie—at times, it got messy. We cried, we laughed, we hugged.   

 Margaret Bessai, B.A. (she/her) has worked with Dunlop Art Gallery at RPL as a facilitator since 1999. A writer and artist living in Regina, her work has been published nationally. Born and raised in Regina, her family roots are as settlers, homesteading near Southey, SK. Her first library card was blue-and-white, type-written onto cardstock. 

Saskatchewan Weekend with Shauna Powers

Community Print Making

Presented here are community works with the theme of “Thankfulness”. They were created during the Thanksgiving holiday Community Print Making workshop.

Recycled Street Art

The Recycled Street Art virtual exhibition includes artworks created by Carol Casswell's Vocational Adaptation Program and Catrina Palamara's Grade 10 students from Balfour Arts Collegiate in celebration of Cathedral Village Arts Festival.

Artist Statements

Abby – Beach Vibes 

I wanted this to be aesthetically pleasing while using natural and recycled materials   

Jade – Beautiful Insanity 

I wanted it to be colourful and fun with a simplistic vibe to it. 

Quincy – Mother Earth 

We need to take care of Mother Earth and all her elements with love. 

Emily – Harmony in Love 

I felt inspired by the people in my life because they make me feel completely calm and welcome to be myself. 

Payton - Puffy 

My favourite colour periwinkle was my inspiration. It made me think of the sky. 

Multi-Faith Saskatchewan Visual Art Project

The Saskatchewan Visual Art Project invited students grades 9-12 to submit their artworks that promote messages of peace, caring, and action. Selected artworks will have the opportunity to tour Saskatchewan’s art galleries, libraries, city/town halls, and places of worship. 

Artworks were judged on their message, artistic excellence, originality, creativity, and impact on the viewer.  

Muscle Panic  Poster Project

Produced with the support of Canadian Sport Centre Saskatchewan, and as part of Hazel Meyer’s exhibition Muscle Panic at Dunlop Art Gallery (October 24, 2020 - January, 2021), this poster is the culmination of a collaboration between Shannon Comerford, Blair Fornwald, Whit Genoway, Rey Hesterman, and Jaye Kovach.

For anyone interested in a physical copy of the poster, please contact: tjonsson@reginalibrary.ca

Non-archival Submissions is the submission-based sister-project to Non-archival Archive, a project that lives alongside Hazel Meyer's Muscle Panic.

5 LGBTQ2S+ identified artists and athletes from Regina were given a prompt to reimagine noteworthy (think, ESPN's 'Greatest Sport Moments') moments in sporting culture. Embracing a skewed chronology created by disregarding dates, genres and categorization, Non-archival Submissions centres desire, queerness, and deep idiosyncratic delights as the defining logic of this archive.

To see and to contribute to this archive, please visit:  Non-archival Submissions

Creature for the End of the World

Creature for the End of the World brings together photographs created during two virtual workshops led by artist Sylvia Ziemann in January 2021. Presented here are the creatures made by members of the community. Special thanks to the participants of Sylvia Ziemann’s Creature for the End of the World workshops.

Street Photography 

Street Photography brings together photographs created during two virtual workshops led by artist Risa Horowitz in June 2020. Presented here are explorations in contemporary digital street photography made by members of the Regina community, using only their phone cameras and some digital alterations.   

Special thanks to the participants of Risa Horowitz’s street photography workshops.   

The Paper Sculpture Manual

The Paper Sculpture Manual is based on The Paper Sculpture Show, a traveling exhibition curated by Mary Ceruti, Matt Freedman, and Sina Najafi in 2003 and produced by Independent Curators International (ICI), Cabinet, and SculptureCenter. The Paper Sculpture Manual is made available to art spaces internationally free of charge, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, and made possible by ICI’s Board of Trustees and contributors to ICI’s Access Fund.

Dunlop Art Gallery presented The Paper Sculpture Show in 2004 at Central Gallery.

do it (home)

do it (home) is curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and produced by Independent Curators International (ICI), New York. do it (home) is made available to art spaces internationally free of charge, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, with the support of ICI’s Board of Trustees, contributors to ICI’s Access Fund, and the Jeanne and Dennis Masel Foundation.

Dunlop Art Gallery presented do it in 1998 at Central Gallery.

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