City mural created by P.E.I. newcomers unveiled in Charlottetown

A mural that celebrates Prince Edward Island's ecosystem on one of its sides, and cultural diversity on the other, was unveiled in Charlottetown Wednesday.

The mural was created by the Newcomers Artist Circle, which is a group of nine artists who are predominantly newcomers to Prince Edward Island. The group was formed in April and collaborates with the P.E.I. Association For Newcomers.

"We began gathering and talking about artistic practice, doing creative exercises together and talking about what is the role that a mural plays in a community as a sort of accessible form of public art," said Kirstie McCallum, the group's facilitator.

Purpose of the mural

The themes of the mural, P.E.I.'s ecosystem and cultural diversity, were chosen because they best portray what the Island is all about, she said.

"I think that life on Prince Edward Island is inherently close to nature in different ways. We're weather oriented, our beaches are really present in our lives. Many people live in rural places, and even when you live in the cities, I think the green space and quality of life that nature brings are very close to people's hearts," McCallum said. 

"When we realized that we would have the opportunity to do a two-sided mural, it seemed natural to bring in a human component to the other side because the first side was so focused on plants and animals." 

Working on the mural provided an opportunity for artistic newcomers to socialize and communicate verbally and non-verbally, McCallum said. 

"Which meant that regardless of people's level of language speaking in English, they had opportunities to express themselves."

"Visual creative expression also lends itself to sharing, you know, ideas about your personality,  about what you love. It's a way of opening up to other people."- Kirstie McCallum

McCallum said she enjoyed working with the other artists on the project and describes it as "effective way of bonding as a community.'

"There's just been a lot of opportunities to get to know each other, share stories. I've learned little bits and pieces of people's lives, both before Prince Edward Island and in Prince Edward Island," she said. 

Raquel Hoersting, from Brazil, is one of the artists behind the mural's creation. She moved to P.E.I. three years ago to join the University of Prince Edward Island's department of Psychology, as an assistant professor. 

The Newcomers Artist Circle gave her a chance to reconnect with her artistic side.

"I worked with art throughout my life, but with life and changes, you know, in moving I had already sold all my art materials. I hadn't been active for many years," she said.  

"Coming together and having a space that is already prepared, it was so welcoming that it felt very comfortable to be there." 

Another artist, and newcomer to the Island, Tahani Salameh, said joining the artistic circle has made her feel part of the community. 

"I made new friends, artist friends, and the networking that we had in this project, it just really made me feel like I really belong here in Prince Edward Island."

Salameh said she loved the diversity among her fellow artists and how it was reflected on the mural.

"It was a mixture between all the countries of participants and the styles of artists," she said. 

"It was joyful, the gathering and the workshop that and all the sessions that we attended to complete this artwork."

Yvette Doucette, who is with the P.E.I. Association For Newcomers, said the mural will give a warm welcome to future newcomers to P.E.I.

"If there's something that talks about it or interprets it in some way here, which I imagine there will be, they would know that newcomers created the artwork," she said.

"I think that will just make people feel very proud and connected and know that there's a place for everybody here."

The mural is located at Robin Hood Park, in the East Royalty neighbourhood of Charlottetown.

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