A team of about 15 people spent three days painting a mural at Inuvik's Adult Drop-In Centre.
Work on the 12-foot-wide, 8-foot-tall mural began Monday morning and was completed by Wednesday afternoon.
Hope House manager Peggy Day said the sign is meant to identify the building, but that it otherwise blends in with the neighboring homes.
The facility at 83 Inuit Road began as an effort to meet housing needs in the area.
In 2022, the team – Day, Susan Peffer, Veronica Kassouk and William Hurst – received a $495,000 Arctic Inspiration Award to provide support to homeless residents, including counselling and rehabilitation referrals.
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The mural was funded by the Inuvialuit Regional Authority's Health and Wellness department, the GNWT's Ministry of Education, Culture and Employment, and the Inuvialuit Development Authority's Construction department.
Artist Brian Kowiecchuk said work on the idea began last year.
“We're going to use a solid color of blue, and we're going to use that to create a mural of a musk ox in a circle protecting a calf, because when people come here, we want them to know this is a safe place,” Kowiecchuk said Tuesday as the mural was taking shape.
“We came together with the idea of working with our client, Hope House, and one of our aims was to build a bridge between mental health and the arts.”
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Kowikchuk feels the mural “captures a sense of cooperation” between the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit people, given that muskoxen live on both lands.
He believes art is a medium that brings communities together, and with this project, that happens through the time and effort volunteers put into painting the murals.
Occupational therapist Rachel Schooley said Hope House ensures local people can take part in arts-based programs by doing “a lot of sewing and traditional crafts”.
Schooley said the mural will help people “feel proud of the space.”
“I think a lot of great work has already been done thanks to the staff and the people who come here.
“We're doing a mural project in Gwich'in Park. Spending quality time outside together really contributes to our overall wellbeing. It's great to see that in real time.”
