Over the course of the summer of 2009, a portion of the Ogden Point Breakwater inner wall has been transformed from a dark concrete surface into a series of a colorful hand-painted First Nations’ mural panels.
The Ogden Point Mural project, a collaboration between the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority and aboriginal Coast Salish artists Butch Dick (representing the Songhees First Nation) and Darlene Gait (representing the Esquimalt First Nation), and a team of aboriginal youth is a tribute to the unique artistic traditions of Canada’s first people.
The murals feature a series of undulating wave and sand forms filled with a variety of land and sea creatures common to the Westcoast which can be seen by visiting cruiseship passengers and those who walk the 2km long Ogden Point Breakwater.
The images of the land represented by Darlene Gait’s images of the cougar, the running deer, the raven and the eagle as well as the wolf are symbols of family unity, honesty, generosity, and respect, values which exemplify the dignity and nobility of First Nations people.
The artwork of Butch Dick portrays images of sea life including the salmon, the harbour seal, the devil fish (octopus), and the sea monster.
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Also join in the celebrations for the Blessing of the second phase of the Land and Sea mural at Ogden Point on June 4, 2011 at 1 pm. For more information see https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=215216618494642
for more about the art of Darlene Gait, see www.onemoon.ca
i WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT PHASE I AND THE INVOLVEMENT OF VIRCS YOUTH IN THE PAINTING
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