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Under the guidance of renowned artist Moses Lunham, the Lakeshore Discovery school community came together for a community art project in May 2023.
Prior to any paint on canvas , participants met virtually to discuss the importance of community, belonging, inclusion and the place that everyone has at Lakeshore Discovery. Each class then came up with words that they would like to see reflected in the image. The suggestions were added to a word cloud and given to Mr. Lunham to inspire the mural that he created. More than 1,000 students, staff and community members contributed to the completed piece.
In June Moses was invited to join the students and staff to unveil the completed scene and share his thoughts on the process. “We spent a lot of time planning for this. One of the most important things was having students involved in the process. The visual was inspired by the word cloud, which included terms like community, kindness, respect for the environment and family.”
One of the primary components of the painting revolves around “respect”. Moses stated that it was challenging to incorporate the word, visually, into the mural but ultimately it was very important. “In my culture, when you think about respect, you’re honouring all of creation. We all have that within us as something we can offer and being respectful is expressed through our actions. This painting is meant to illustrate that.”
Starting in September, the mural will be on display in the main hallway at Lakeshore Discovery.
Moses Lunham is Ojibway from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation and regularly joins classrooms throughout the GECDSB, teaching them to paint pieces that represent Indigenous strength and contributions.
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