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VIDEO: Ridge Meadows Foundry unveils mural created by Katzie artist and youth collaborators

Artwork funded through the $18,000 BC Summer Games 2020 legacy fund

Foundry Ridge Meadows held an event Friday to unveil the grand mural put together by three youth artists with local Katzie artist Rain Pierre.

Last year, the Foundry Ridge Meadows was selected by the BC Summer Games 2020 Legacy Fund committee for a grant of $18,000. This grant was given to create an opportunity to work with Rain Pierre, an artist from Katzie First Nation, known for his Indigenous creations and inspiring work with students from SD 42.

Vicki Kipps, the executive director of Community Services, was extremely excited about the mural as well as being able to host the event in person. She described the project as the brainchild of several people in the room, leveraging the talent of several others in the room, and remarked that this unveiling wouldn’t have been the same if it was done over Zoom.

Several members from the B.C. Summer Games Committee were present at the unveiling. Lisa Craik, a representative with the committee, remarked that through collaboration with artist Pierre, with the Foundry, and with the committee’s backing, the “remarkable project” became possible.

“It’s absolutely beautiful and stunning. Thank you so much to the artists, to Rain for leading them,” she said.

ALSO READ: Community Services to give youth chance to paint alongside Katzie artist Rain Pierre

The project included Pierre’s mentorship of three young artists, Maeve North, Sarah Penner and Rayah Sawyer. The three young artists, put together their ideas and Pierre tied them all together to turn it into one big piece.

“This is the first legacy project on this scale. I am so humbled and so proud of the youth artists,” said Pierre.

Maeve North, one of the artists on the project, who is a grade 11 student at Westview Secondary, was moved when she first entered the room and saw the completed mural. North, is hoping to go to Douglas college and become an aboriginal support worker but would never stop creating art, she said.

“I grew up watching Rain. It was incredible to get to learn from him and work with him. I never imagined this would happen and am so glad to have this opportunity,” said North, adding, “Whether I am pursuing art as a career or not, I will keep making art throughout my life.”

North’s collaborator, grade 12 student Sarah Penner from Thomas Haney, will however be pursuing art as her career. Penner, who wants to go into interior designing, hopes to bring into her design what she learnt from Pierre.

“I learnt a lot from working with Rain and he is just so kind and welcoming. It was such a new and exciting experience to collaborate with two other artists,” she said.

Pierre is also working on a separate art piece, which would be a three-dimensional, interactive piece, the second part under the grant. The piece would be brought into the Foundry and unveiled in March, said Pierre.

ALSO READ: Winners start work on the Foundry mural with Katzie artist in Maple Ridge


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Priyanka Ketkar

About the Author: Priyanka Ketkar

Priyanka Ketkar has been a journalist since 2011 with extensive experience in community-driven news writing, feature writing, and editing.
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