Indigneous art decorates Manitoulin Island basketball court
A basketball court on Manitoulin Island has had an incredible transformation and an Indigenous artist is seeing her work come to life on the unusual medium.
When you think of artwork or even murals, the base of an outdoor basketball court seems like an unlikely canvas.
Indigneous art decorates Manitoulin Island basketball court. (Supplied)
However, on Sheguindah First Nation, a colourful representation of culture has been brought to life in a design dreamt up by Emily Kewageshig.
"We went forward with the turtle design and then I incorporated the medicine wheel into the center of the turtle shell to represent the good medicine and all the teachings that I know, and that they know and that we’re all familiar with," said Kewageshig.
"And then around the turtle, there are circular shapes that are filled with shades of orange and red that go along with the Every Child Matters theme."
The project was funded through the Toronto Raptors and the MLSE Foundation to help refurbish an already existing court.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Neil Wong and his team, who specialize in creating lasting works of art on various outdoor surfaces, made the project possible.
"We actually stencil the court, but then have to go on a computer and map it out and do the design, so that is the most intricate part," said Wong.
"And then making sure all of the basketball lines line up with the intended design of the artist."
Wong said the community will be able to enjoy the court for decades.
"It’s an outdoor acrylic material and then we add the sand in for grit, so that’s what keeps the traction, but it’s an outdoor UV-treated paint specific for this type of application," he said.
Kewageshig said it is a visual reminder to anyone visiting the court that culture is important, community is important and every child matters.
"I wanted to honour that. It’s their community, it's where they live and it's where they are going to be playing basketball and hanging out, making memories so I really valued everything they had to say and then we went forward with it," said Kewageshig.
"The community was great. I mean they even brought us lunch, they were waiting for it to happen, they were so excited, they kept people off the court while we were working, they were so prideful on that being built for the community," said Wong.
Work has now wrapped up and the paint has dried so the community can enjoy artwork and sport, as one.
Correction
This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Emily Kewageshig.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.