Dene artist paints celebration of Yellowknife's multicultural identity

A colourful reminder of Yellowknife's vibrant multicultural identity will soon be on display in downtown Yellowknife.

Dene artist MelawNakehk'ohasbeen painting a mural for the past week in Somba K'e Civic Plaza. It depicts images from numerous cultures represented in the city, including Ghanaian, Chinese, Indian and Somalian.

"I'm really excited to be a part of this project," said Nakehk'o."We've gotten a lot of input from a lot of different people in different parts of our community that we're incorporating into the whole image."

Nakehk'o volunteered every day to design and paint the mural. She did most of the painting herself, but others were invited to drop by and contribute.

Nakehk'osaid she hopes people who see the finished product will see themselves reflected in the art.

The project is funded by Rising Youth a Canadian youth grant program run a global non-profit, TakingITGlobal.

Anusa Sivalingamruns the grant program and helped put the project together.

"There is so much beautiful art here in Yellowknife and it's really focused on nature and animals which is fantastic," said Sivalingam.

But she said she wants to see more people represented in art around the community, so this mural is a way to do that.

"We wanted to do it in the park because it's coming from the community," saidSivalingam. "Even if they just wanted to look at it or paint just a little thing, then they get to feel like they are a part of it as well."