December 13, 2019
With paint brushes in hand and a pallet of vivid yellow and orange paint before them, students from the Mackenzie Mountain School in Norman Wells dabbled, dotted and swooshed their artistic contributions onto a 4x8 foot painting. The piece is one of two new murals that will eventually be displayed in their community.
Behchokǫ̀ artist James Wedzin spent November 25 – 28 in the community, sharing his art and welcoming community participation in the creation of the murals.
“Having so many hands take part in making these beautiful murals makes them a special part of the town,” says Roberta Bighetty, Norman Well’s Economic Development Officer. “People in the community will see them on display and recognize that they contributed their skills and talents – and learned something about art in the process.”
One mural depicts the Mackenzie Mountains across the Mackenzie River and features two man-made islands with aurora overhead. “It’s exactly what you would see if you were standing at the top of the town dock here in Norman Wells,” says Nicole Richards, Business Development Officer for Industry, Tourism and Investment’s Sahtu Office.
The second piece shows a bear and her cub walking through fall foliage and features the artistic talents of several classes from Mackenzie Mountain School. It will be displayed on the front of the school.
In both paintings, the faint silhouette of other animals – eagles, wolves, caribou and others, can be seen. It’s an eye-catching trademark that James’ work has become known for.
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The initiative was a truly collaborative effort. In addition to support from ITI’s Regional NWT Arts Funding, many others stepped up to the plate, including the town’s Economic Development Officer, the Community Justice Committee, the Town of Norman Wells, Rampart Rentals, The Cat Train Café, Sahtu Dene Inn, the Mackenzie Mountain School and the Northern Store.
The murals are one part of a larger goal – to establish a Norman Wells Arts Walk.
“We’re still in the planning stages but we’re hoping to develop an Arts Walk,” explains Richards. “The NWT and the Sahtu Region have an incredible number of artists. We’re hoping to develop more public art projects around town to showcase their artwork. Then we’ll tie them all together with a map that will take visitors and locals on an incredible art-focussed walking tour of our town.
