(Kjipuktuk, N.S.) - Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC) is proud to announce the completion and installation of “Our Stories”, 19 circular murals created by 19 local Indigenous artists ranging between the ages of 9-55, now on display across the exterior wall of Scotia Square (facing Barrington Street.)
“Our Stories” is one of DHBC’s ‘Gritty to Pretty’ placemaking projects that were announced earlier this year and was created by BIPOC mural grant recipients Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre (MNFC), and Open Studio One (OSO) planning + design.
“The building is in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people and we’re really hoping the location of the murals will build awareness of the Mi’kmaq history and the land that we all stand on,” says project lead Kieran Stepan, co-founder of OSO planning + design.
In May 2022, DHBC launched a call for submissions for the ‘Gritty to Pretty’ Placemaking Grant Program. This is the eighth year of the program, which was developed to award grants for placemaking projects located in Downtown Halifax. This year, two new grant streams were introduced to provide financial support to BIPOC artists and art collectives, BIPOC-led, BIPOC-focused, and BIPOC-serving organizations.
“Recognizing the need to address barriers that BIPOC communities face due to systemic racism, these grants aim to celebrate and showcase more diverse and inclusive public art installations throughout the Downtown core. The art creates a more welcoming and vibrant atmosphere. I mean take a walk around Downtown and tell me it’s not beautiful,” said Paul MacKinnon, CEO of DHBC.
“Our Stories” was a collaboration, funded by DHBC, led by OSO planning + design and created by the Indigenous community. Over five workshops, the community shared stories, developed mural concepts and learned new and traditional painting styles while completing their art pieces.
Lead Artists: Angela Doyle – Faulkner, Jean Jacobson, and Dora Takatak. Artists: Sophie Amaral, Emma Charles, Crystin Edwards (Little Bear), Angela Jones, Justin Lewis, Sipu Martin, Emma McCarthy, Vivian McDonald, Ava Merrick, Maddox Merrick, Rachel Merrick, Theresa Meuse, Shaylene Morris, Merrigan Palliser, Theresa Palliser, Lena Richerdson, and Rebecca Salmonson.
For more information on this project, and all our ‘Gritty to Pretty’ placemaking projects visit: downtownhalifax.ca/grittytopretty..
Land Acknowledgement:
Downtown Halifax Business Commission acknowledges that we are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) Peoples first signed with the British Crown in 1725. The treaties did not deal with surrender of lands and resources but in fact recognized Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations.
About Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC):
Downtown Halifax Business Commission represents over 1,600 businesses located in the central business district of Halifax, Nova Scotia. DHBC’s mission is to passionately pursue a more prosperous and vibrant Downtown Halifax, through good development, Downtown mobility, membership services, DHBC leadership, and Downtown placemaking. For more information, visit www.downtownhalifax.ca.
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For more information:
Jayme Lynn Butt (she/her)
Communications Manager
jayme@downtownhalifax.ca
