In September, CSDC students from the Red Lake and Thunder Bay Aurores boréaless had the opportunity to take part in the filming of the # series.Colors of the North produced by Lopii Productions with muralist Mique Michelle.
The # projectColors of the North aims to highlight the beauty and identity of the North through vibrant community murals conceptualized with local teenagers.
To create murals representative of each community, the young artists introduced Mique Michelle to the unique features of Red Lake and Thunder Bay. The groups' adventures and learnings will be shared during the Season 2 broadcasts of #Couleurs du Nord in autumn 2023 on TFO.
The Red Lake project
In Red Lake, Sofi (4e year) and Caleb (5e grade) from École catholique des Étoiles-du-Nord helped create the mural for the new Centre Jeunesse, located at the top of the municipal library. The mural features many shades of yellow and nature scenes representative of the region.
The young artists' experience in Thunder Bay
In Thunder Bay, Caleb (7e year), Rebecca (8e year), Adele (9e year) and Mackenzie (11e year) from ÉSC de La Vérendrye and Katherine (6e grade) from École catholique Franco-Supérieur who collaborated with the Northern Ontario artist on the mural outside ÉSC de La Vérendrye.
The group collaborated on a mural depicting a colorful tree forest and incorporated images representing Thunder Bay, such as the Sleeping Giant and the Thunderbird. Small treasures representative of the young artists can also be found in the mural. For example, each student added a tree depicting something that represents them, such as a donut. persian (Thunder Bay's popular delicacy), a flag of the colors of inclusivity, flowers, hearts, and more.
The artistic experience had an impact beyond creating a mural. They had conversations about identity and culture, discovered more about their city, and forged new friendships.
"We ate persians and went boating on Lake Superior," explains Caleb.
Mackenzie adds: "We toured the city with GoPros. I discovered several places I didn't know about. It's thanks to the project and Kat (his project mate) that I know my city better, and I've lived here for 6 years."
"It was a great experience!" says Adele. "We created a really good group of friends. I now have new friends to say hello to in the hallway at school."
Now it's your turn to discover the fruits of this magnificent community project. See both murals in person - you won't regret it!
