The next time you go to the South Cariboo Rec Centre, you might notice some new art on its walls.
That's thanks to the work of Tsq̓éscen̓ First Nation (TFN) member Autumn Christopher who has brought four new murals to life over the last few weeks. Christopher has painted the TFN community, a baseball player and two hockey players meant to represent the TFN's Mens Fastball Shuswaps, the Women's Fastball Windwalkers, the Women's Hockey Canim Lake Kodiaks and the Men's Hockey Canim Lake Warriors.
"I definitely like doing the clouds. The clouds were the most fun for me and the houses (in the Canim Lake mural.) The little red church, that stood out to me the most," Christopher said. "Signing my name was pretty funny. I showed my mother and she laughed at me and said I have Grade 5 writing. That was one of my favourite moments."
Christopher, who was born in Canim Lake and is currently based out of Kamloops, has been a mural artist and digital artist for the last four years. In addition to outdoor murals, he's also done artwork for several regional First Nations bands and communities.
"I do a lot of native artwork for the communities," Christopher said. "I've painted since high school, but I didn't take it seriously until I started university. It's my comfort zone compared to when I worked fast food. Once I worked fast food, I quickly realized I didn't want to do that long term."
Josh Dickinson, manager of the rec centre, said that it has been about 20 years since the interior design of the rec centre was updated in any major way. He thinks that the murals are a great addition and was happy when the District of 100 Mile House and the TFN first approached him about the project a year ago.
"I think we've been trying to get Autumn to come in for about a year or so. It just so happened this year we were able to secure him and come up with an idea and a location," Dickinson said. "That's the hardest part in this facility, we don't have a lot of space that can be used for murals, because there is a lot of glass."
The space where the mural of Canim Lake has been painted was originally covered by some old tapestries, Dickinson noted. The walls beside the washrooms, where the hockey player and baseball player can now be found, were bare.
Outside of some general guidelines from the TFN's communications coordinator Kaitlyn Dixon and the District of 100 Mile House's chief administrative officer, Tammy Boulanger, Christopher said he had free rein to come up with his own designs. He noted that the large mural of Canim Lake was his own idea, while Boulanger suggested the inclusion of baseball.
Christopher said he is proud his artwork will be at the rec centre for years to come, noting he's looking forward to getting feedback from his friends and family. He noted he would be happy to do more murals in the area if anyone wants to hire him.
"It's my way of life to make a living. I enjoy doing it and I enjoy just meeting other people," Christopher said.
Boulanger said the murals are a collaborative project between the district and TFN, with a goal to create a more culturally rich space for the community. She noted the arena isn't just a place for people to gather during sporting events and trade shows, but also a place the community will use as a rallying point during an emergency.
"We're using $20,000 of our Indigenous Engagement Funds we received to fund those murals. It was important to us that we had someone who was local and so we sourced out Autumn Christopher. He was more than happy to paint the murals for us," Boulanger said. "He's done other murals in the past in different kinds of spaces, so we just thought this was an amazing opportunity to feature a local artist and build relationships with Tsq̓éscen̓."
Christopher aims to complete the murals by the end of this week in time for Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School's graduation ceremony on Friday, June 20. In the meantime, Dickinson has already begun pointing out the murals to visitors of the rec centre.
"It's a perfect fit for the rec centre. We're excited to have it and change it up a little bit in the lobby," Dickinson said. "It's a great addition to the space, for sure. I just want to thank Autumn for bringing a nice touch to our facility. I think people who come into our building are going to see it as something that's a really nice addition."
