A mural at the Women’s Centre, located in the basement of the Helen Glass Centre, has recently been completed. The artwork was created by nine women and gender diverse artists.
Leading artist behind the project, Cole Cancilla, came up with the concept outline behind the mural.
The mural intends to “fully grasp every aspect” of what women are “in one image,” said Cancilla.
Cancilla chose a collage to best depict womanhood, permitting “fragmentations of perspectives, yet in a snapshot.”
The initial proposal started in the fall of 2023 with the approval and help of the Women’s Centre.
Cancilla said the various styles used by the artists create “an overwhelming feeling,” which is the goal of the mural. Cancilla hoped to create an “overwhelming sensation of what it is to be a woman and to revisit that concept.”
Cancilla said “for years people are going to see this and recognize the many definitions of what it is to be a woman. And that’s something that’s timeless to me and to everyone who’s going to see it.”
Tanadebabari Shalom Boogbaa Lebe is one of the artists who worked on the mural and was responsible for the far upper-left design, “the orange that bleeds into the volcano.”
“[It] represents disability and Indigenous peoples, as well as the globe” which is being “held [by a] black glowing hand,” she stated. Boogbaa Lebe added that the box at the bottom of the design depicts Pandora’s box which features a hand reaching in and removing the world. “Letters are placed all over the globe which spell ‘hope,’” symbolizing that only hope was left in the Pandora’s box.
Boogbaa Lebe used mostly acrylic paint, oils and custom stencils to make the design a reality.
She mentioned the theme for her section was “together we are stronger.”
“At times [women] are disconnected based on society’s norms and ideologies and our different regions, but the Women’s Centre overcomes that by bringing us together in a space where we are able to share our ideas and care for one another,” Boogbaa Lebe said. “That’s why I decided to make it a theme of togetherness throughout the entire piece.”
“I hope when people look at it, they’ll be able to not just identify with it, but feel a sense of belonging, that they’re at least being represented on campus, if they were not being represented elsewhere,” she said.
Boogba Lebe said she “would like to thank the Women’s Centre for creating an opportunity for artists […] and people who have artistic talent.”
Witta Irumva was the UMSU’s women’s representative for the past year and helped with organizing the artists and the concept.
Content featured in the mural was also a reflection of community input. “I hope [the mural] continues to engage people with the centre” Irumva said.
“It was a project that I feel introduced a lot of people to the centre and I hope to see a few more projects like that, that brings new people to the centre and […] shows them that there are ways to get involved, even if you’re not a part of the executive team,” she said.
The mural is located in the Women’s Centre at 190 Helen Glass.
