A bright yellow butterfly mural will be hanged in Crescent Park to combat graffiti and give hope to people struggling with thoughts of — or who have been affected by — suicide.
The mural is a culmination of work between Project 104 High School Arts Collective’s graffiti team and Journey to Hope’s youth chapter, with the students having worked on it since 2018-19.
The design is the side view of a large butterfly, which is the logo of Journey to Hope. The insect artwork is yellow, with wings featuring various shades of that colour. The wings have been cut into small puzzle-like interlocking pieces, each with messages of hope designed and painted by students affected by suicide.
The mural’s body, head and antenna have names of those who live on in remembrance, while the butterfly is mounted on a black background and covered with anti-graffiti coating.
The mural was unveiled in Crescent Park on June 11, but city council officially blessed the project during its recent regular meeting.
Council unanimously approved the proposal from Prairie South School Division to install the artwork in Crescent Park, with the parks and recreation department to determine the final location in consultation with the school division and the Moose Jaw Police Service to fund all material costs.
Furthermore, council authorized city administration to create and sign an installation and maintenance agreement and have the mayor and city clerk sign it.
Although the exact location hasn’t been determined, the students suggested the east side of the lawn bowling building.
The partnership between Project 104 and the police service began years ago to handle areas where graffiti was a problem, explained Coun. Heather Eby. What the groups found — and what the police chief has confirmed — is that graffiti has all but disappeared where project murals have been installed.
“So, it (the initiative) is doing what it has set out to do,” she said.
The public art committee recommended that the mural project be accepted during its June meeting, while it also discussed several other initiatives. The minutes from that meeting were presented during the council meeting.
Underpass mural
Stephanie Bellefleur, a contemporary visual artist in Saskatchewan, provided the committee with her background and experience as a mural artist. She presented a proposal for an artwork on the Snowbirds Expressway Underpass on Main Street South.
The committee asked her about her pre-creation process and the timeline. She explained that she would only start after extensive research and collaboration with city hall, the public art committee and the community.
Bellefleur said she would consider using another space if the committee or city preferred a different location.
The committee then voted to consider the mural installation in its 2023 budget request to city council.
“When you live in a city, sometimes you don’t see what you don’t see, and you don’t see spots that are not beautiful,” Eby, a member of the committee, told council. “And this was an artist who really identified an area and the concept plan she showed us for that was very exciting … . That location is now on the radar of the committee, so that’s something to look forward to.”
Bison sculpture
Bill Keen, a local metal sculpture artist, gave an overview of his current bison sculpture and discussed how historically significant the animal is to Canada and its importance to Aboriginal People, the committee minutes said.
The committee and city administration welcomed the project but suggested Keen consult with local First Nations people before installation. He originally proposed installing the sculpture in Sunningdale Park but thought places such as Tatawaw Park or Crescent Park could also work.
The sculpture could be finished this fall, while a company has agreed to donate concrete for future installation. The committee later discussed possible locations and a budget to purchase the sculpture.
The committee then voted to table the matter until its next meeting.
“The work he is doing on that is absolutely incredible. It will be a very exciting project to see it come to completion,” said Eby.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, July 11.
