New Indigenous mural on display in downtown Fredericton

There is a new mural on display in the heart of Fredericton’s downtown core.

Located on the side of the public library in Officers' Square, the piece done by Tobique First Nation artist Emma Hassenchal-Perley is her second line of work to be prominently featured in the city centre.

“It was really exciting,” admits Hassenchal-Perley on seeing her latest piece being unveiled. “I have to say, I wasn't really anticipating the crowd or anything. I don't really know what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised.”

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The crowd of about 100 people was filled with friends and family, including Hassenchal-Perley’s grandparents, and members of the Fredericton community. She was first commissioned to do the mural a year-and-a-half ago by Indigenous led organization Beyond Behavioural Intervention. The organization provides family and youth services within their communities.

For the past month-and-a-half, she has worked on the mural off-and-on when time permitted between her work schedules.

A crowd of about 100 people gathered in Fredericton's Officer’s Square on July 4, 2024 for the grand unveiling of a new mural. (Avery MacRae/CTV Atlantic)

“It's about gathering in the summer time and being in those spaces, growing up in Neqotuk,” says the artist on the piece. “I love the spot that it’s in and like I said, I spend a lot of time on this street, so that’s meant a lot to me that the public library took it on.”

She says the mural depicts the way that love radiates from the centre out, and she hopes that message is present in every event that happens in the area in the years to come.

For Elder Imelda Opolahsomuwehs, getting to see Indigenous artwork by Indigenous artists on their traditional territory is a long time coming.

“For the city to say, 'hey, we need some Wolastoqiyik content, we need some stories, and the mural especially,' you know, you can't help but get emotional,” Opolahsomuwhes says. “We've just been waiting.”

Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers echoes the elder’s sentiment, saying the art expresses the traditional culture and traditions of the area’s First Nations peoples. She adds having their art represented within the city serves as a reminder as to who the original inhabitants of this land were.

“The Indigenous Wolastoqiyik culture is a very vibrant culture,” Rogers says. “So it's important that that be reflected in our public art that's throughout the city.”

“I think it opens up a great conversation to anyone that comes by the area,” says Andrew LeBlanc, media relations manager with Beyond Behaviour Intervention. “You know, the revitalization of Officers' Square, having it on the public library, it's going to be seen by hundreds of thousands of people in the span of a year and is really going to speak to them.”

He credits the artist for her final product, noting she was chosen as the organization felt she best represented Wolastoqiyik artists.

LeBlanc adds the piece is the perfect way of highlighting both Fredericton’s booming art scene and the important contributions of its Indigenous population.

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