Grandin Murals

Sylvie Nadeau – Born in Quebec, Francophone artist Sylvie Nadeau has been practicing for 45 years. Her career has encompassed sculpture, poetry, and dance. Holding degrees and diplomas from Université Laval, University of Alberta, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology ( NAIT ), Nadeau is also a respected arts educator. Her artistic practice is interested in humanistic and spiritual endeavours. These inspirations give her a sense of purpose and make her creations true labours of love – a channel of love and peace.

The Grandin Murals are the outcome of two years of dialogue and consultation among Edmonton’s Francophone and Aboriginal communities. They were created by artists Aaron Paquette and Sylvie Nadeau. Aaron’s Paquette’s artwork is new. Sylvie Nadeau, who created the original mural, has added panels depicting an Aboriginal boy and girl. The original mural, painted by Nadeau in 1989 was commissioned in order to celebrate the historical contributions of Alberta’s Francophone community and particularly Bishop Vital Grandin. However, many felt that the imagery of the original evoked the troubling history of the residential schools. In 2011, Francophonie jeunesse de l’Alberta and the City of Edmonton with the support of various community agencies, convened a working circle to find solutions to the issue. The collective decision was made to re-envision the original work and commission a new mural. Sylvie Nadeau added two panels to her original work. The panels, depicting an Aboriginal boy and girl, “speak” to the new mural by Aaron Paquette. The new mural depicts more than 10,000 years of Aboriginal history in the Edmonton area and through the use of colour and symbol paints a portrait of hope and healing.