Advocacy Coalition Mural

ARC Mural "We!" Workshops

join us for a relaxed community art gathering to share stories and moments that make the Queen’s community diverse and unique. The workshops provide an opportunity to participate in the creation of the “We!” mural which will be installed on the south wall of the Athletics and Recreation Centre. The workshops will be virtual and hosted by the artist, Anna Jane McIntyre.

Workshop #1

Friday, September 23, 2-3pm

Workshop #2 

Wednesday, September 28, 12 -1 pm  

 If you cannot attend but would like to contribute, please submit your ideas . 

Artist Selected

ֱ community chose Anna Jane McIntyre's proposal "We!" as the winning proposal for the upcoming mural at the ARC. 

McIntyre will incorporate art that will be commissioned from collaborative workshops with Queen’s and Kingston community members into the original design. Workshops will be held in the fall and the illustration will be installed a short time later.

green, yellow shapes with one person on the left
"We!" by Anna Jane McIntyre

Community Poll: voting is now closed.

The community poll for the proposed mural at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) is now closed.

The winning design will be announced in the coming weeks. 

 

 

Proposed concept #1

Charmaine Lurch

Title: 'Familiar in the landscape'

Subjects: I would approach the Queens coalition group towards finding students who might be interested in being in the photo. If recruiting participants this way is not possible, other outreach options would ensue.

Photography: One of the main features is for a photograph to be taken of the subjects in the environment. A professional photographer would be hired to take the photos. I have worked with photographers such as Ebti Nabag, and Toni Hafkensheid, whose work is show here as an example of the kind of image that will be displayed. I am in contact with other photographers from the QTBIPOC community for this project.

Background: A red bricked background is shown in the mock-up, but other possible backgrounds such as the brickwork on the Isabel Bader Centre or the historic limestone architecture at Queens could be used.

Lines: The simple construction of wire/lines are used to focus attention on specific areas. These elements reminiscent of windows, direct attention, reveal, mark and highlight present presents. They bring a design element into the photo and graphically connect the students to the landscape. Both covering and revealing simultaneously, the lines create a digital mapping. Enlivened with a neon glow together these features bring a sense of energy and life to the image

people walking in front of a brick wall

Proposed concept #2

Nuff

Title: n/a

Vision: My proposed concept explores the themes of perception and perspective. Through the use of optical illusion. abstract geometry, patterns and graphic elements, the piece explores the idea that we all have different points of view and see things differently as a result. The patterns reference African textile traditions, while remaining abstract and nonspecific. By combining multiple images and effects, my aim is to create a vast, multifaceted image which allows the audience to find something new with every visit to the building. An additional layer of interactivity is added via Augmented Reality. Using either Spark AR or Artivive, the various patterns, geometric elements and illusions can come to life, moving over time, stretching, bending and becoming even more illusory. Each square animates uniquely as the camera is pointed at it. The aim is both to create a feeling of calm, grounded power and to remind people to always question their own perceptions, biases and positions, and extend empathy to others who may see things differently.

colourful yellow geometric textile

Proposed concept #3

Anna Jane McIntyre

Title : We!

Vision: We! is a mural made considering the QBACC's mission to hold space and celebrate those who are constantly fighting to be considered and receive equal treatment. The composition is offered as a visually grounding antidote/cheerleader/resting point/talisman to those systematically erased and misrepresented in cultural narratives.

We! is inspired by the collected comments from the QBACC open house meeting. After reading the feedback I realised just how important it is to the community to be seen and represented in a less abstracted way than I originally proposed. In consideration of the comments I have reworked my plan. This is my work-in-progress sketch! It is work in progress as I would like to include the community in creating the final work. The background we see is the waterfront of historic Kingston. In the the work we see inhabitants of ֱ university and Kingston. For these portraits I would like to do a call out to the community of Kingston/QBACC/ֱ and create portraits of anyone who is comfortable with my inaccurate portraiture of them to include in the mural. My call for portraiture subjects will include humans and non-humans, ghosts, trees, animal friends, mixed emotions, all the elements and participants of the local ecology.

The title We! references the Civil Rights Movement. The composition, spirit and intention is inspired by QTBIPOC artists and freedom fighters from across the ages. Community is everything!

person by a body of water

Project Background

A new outdoor mural will be installed outside the Queen’s University Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) later this year. This is a joint commission by the student-led and the Office of the Principal. Initiated by the student-led Advocacy Coalition, the goal of the new mural is to visibly illustrate the diversity of the Queen’s community and signal a future that is focused on celebration, healing, resilience, cultural diversity, and optimism. The mural is intended to be a site of unity, resistance, commemoration, and representation for marginalized and racialized students. The goal is to create an intersectional space that empowers and becomes an educational resource and evokes meaningful dialogue.

is partnering with the University to help organize this two-stage public art competition.

Virtual Open House and Community Feedback

Three artists were shortlisted and invited to virtually present their ideas and concepts on February 2, 6-7pm. During this virtual information session, community members learned about the proposed artwork and provided feedback on their initial design and vision to help inform the final artwork that will be submitted for community consultation. We encourage you to watch the video below and submit your thoughts at the form below. Deadline for feedback on proposed designs. is February 9, 2022

Presenting artists:

is an interdisciplinary visual artist whose work draws attention to human-environmental relationalities. Lurch’s paintings and sculptures are conversations on infrastructures and the spaces and places we inhabit.

 is a visual artist based in Montreal with a playful practice that combines storytelling, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, performance, installation and microactivism. Her work investigates how people perceive, create and maintain their notions of self through behaviour and visual cues and is an ever-shifting visual mashup of British, Trinidadian and adopted Canadian cultural traditions.

works across new media, street art and digital design. He is a founding member of mural collective MRLTM and new media collective Gathering.

Your input will help shape the final designs that will be shared with the Queen’s community later in February for voting. Please register for the event and participate to hear more about this project and each artists’ vision for this important public art installation.

Project Sponsors

Founded on the principles of legitimacy, intersectionality, education, and solidarity, the Queen’s University Advocacy Coalition seeks to represent the vibrant diversity of marginalized and racialized peoples at Queen’s, often lobbying and advocating for changes in policy that best reflect the interests of the QTBIPOC community.

Office of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University

The Principal supports this student-led initiative to promote greater equity and inclusion on Queen’s campus. Art projects are a highly visible and engaging way to encourage dialogue and signify the importance and commitment of the university to EDII.

STEPS fosters dynamic and inclusive communities through public art and creative placemaking. We transform urban spaces into vibrant places through cultural planning, community arts and artist capacity building programs.

steps logo