A call is out for budding young artists.
In October, the youth mural project is holding a session at the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre led by Indigenous artist Shaun Hedican.
Emerging artists between the ages of 15 and 20 are invited to contact organizer Kristin Murray to participate in the session.
The mural will be painted the weekend of Oct. 19 - 20.
It is part of of funding Murray, who is a health promoter at Misiway Milopemahtesewin Community Health Centre, secured to have Indigenous elders sharing their teachings with the youth, who then depict the teachings in murals.
"What happens is the elder will share teachings, then the youth will kind of have a consultation where they’ll discuss what it is that they envision. Then the artist will lead what it looks like so there’s some fluidity and it’s not just a mishmash of different people’s ideas. So he’ll do the sketching and then the youth will paint,” she explained.
“It’s kind of like a collaborative effort, but really the lead artist is there to make sure it’s professional looking and appropriate.”
The first mural was painted at the Timmins airport earlier this year.
Murray said it turned out 100 per cent better than she imagined.
“People love it," she said. “The feedback is completely amazing and we are rooted in Indigenous culture here in terms of being situated in the area that we are and it was a major trading post for Indigenous communities around this area. It’s just kind of fitting.”
For the first mural, the participant call out was broader.
This round, there is limited space (for a maximum of 10 youth) and the age range is more specific.
"When I spoke to the artist I asked him who he’d feel comfortable with and he was looking for people who are artistically inclined. Our previous one was more about any skill level. So we’re really looking for people who consider themselves emerging artists,” she said.
Other murals are in the works, with Murray just waiting to finalize details before sharing the locations.
Businesses with outdoor locations and traction are also encouraged to reach out to potentially partner for the project.
In the end, she hopes the murals will have a tourism piece attached to it so people know where all the pieces are.
If you're an emerging artist looking to participate, or know a fitting location for a mural, contact Murray at 705-264-2200 ext. 143.
