Spotlight on Canvas of Belonging: An Indigenous Art Journey at Memorial University

Public art is a powerful thing, and it does so much more than beautify and invigorate communal spaces. It can also reflect community values, challenge assumptions and common narratives, act as a teaching tool, and bring people together in so many ways.

A colourful new art installation at Memorial University's St. John's campus does all of those things, and then some. Located on the wall in the rose garden between the Science, Math and School of Music buildings, "Canvas of Belonging: An Indigenous Art Journey" is approximately 7.5 by 70 feet and features a flowing landscape with animals including a caribou, seal, a jumping salmon and others, amidst local berries, a silhouetted trappers tent and more. The art wall brings a pop of colour to the campus while increasing a sense of belonging for Indigenous students, staff and faculty.

Cree student and artist Holly Star Tait developed the concept for "Canvas of Belonging: An Indigenous Art Journey,” which was completed with the help of students and staff at Memorial.

Completed over three days near the end of September, the project is a true collaborative effort that brought the campus community together in a fun and creative way.

"Cree student and artist Holly Star Tait developed the initial concept, which was then reviewed by Indigenous students at an engagement session where they decided on the animal silhouettes and images that would go in them. The painting of the wall was open to all members of the Memorial community who wished to participate, and we had a mix of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and staff show up to help," says Joanne Harris, Indigenous Resource Development Coordinator at Memorial. Support and backend work, she adds, was carried out by members of the Beautification Committee, Facilities Management and Juniper House staff.

Holly Star Tait works on a section of the art wall.

The project, Harris explains, answered a call for action made in a 2017 op-ed that she wrote for the Gazette (Memorial's official news site) while she was a grad student.

"In the op-ed I stated that 'if our physical bodies are not present, then we cease to be present. There are no strong visual signifiers indicating that Memorial is an institution operating on the ancestral homelands of the Beothuk, Mi'kmaq, Innu and Inuit.' One of the suggested actions to take included the creation of a new mural in the rose garden. I now work for the Office of Indigenous Affairs at Memorial and was asked to represent my office on the Memorial Beautification Committee, which provided the support and resources to complete this project," she says.

Holly Star Tait (black, paint-splattered jacket) works on the art wall with fellow Memorial students and staff.

The site, which formerly displayed a mural of St. John's harbour, Harris adds, was chosen because it's a high-traffic area that's also located between Juniper House (the Indigenous Student Resource Centre) and the Office of Indigenous Affairs in the Bruneau Centre, "and next to the planned site of a purpose-built Indigenous House."

The installation is expected to last about one to two years, "before we create a new Indigenous-led community art piece," Harris says. And it's made quite an impact, receiving much positive feedback both during its creation and upon its completion.

"While we were painting it so many people stopped to comment on how beautiful it was, how nice it was to have some colour in the space, and to see Indigenous art on campus. Indigenous students, faculty, and staff were thrilled to see art designed both by them and for them. After the wall was completed, on my walk to work I noticed students sitting on the benches by the wall when they used to always be vacant, which I consider to be a silent form of positive feedback," Harris says.

While the artwork that currently graces the wall is temporary, its effects are long lasting. And with each new artist, helped along by members of the campus community, a bold new vision will be brought to life. Ultimately, the project is a perfect example of how public art can contribute to the common good.

Holly Star Tait

"This project contributes to a sense of welcome and inclusion for Indigenous students as it creates space to see themselves reflected in the university landscape," Harris says.

"It also creates space for non-Indigenous students, staff, and faculty to consider their understanding, knowledge, and relationship with the Indigenous Peoples in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and across Canada."