Back to SearchKitchener, Ontario – Last month, the newest artwork in Kitchener’s public art collection was unveiled at the Kitchener Public Library’s (KPL) new Southwest Library. Wintertime Stories, by visual artists Isaac Murdoch and Nyle Miigizi Johnston, tells a powerful story that celebrates the relationship between generations, species and the earth. The 50’ long wall sculpture is rooted in the Anishinabek storytelling tradition, intersecting cultures and life in the northern woodlands.
"Wintertime is our Indigenous time for academia, our own education. It’s our time for art and intellectual knowledge systems to be taught and shared,” said Murdoch. “Indigenous education is a high level of education – It’s not just something that’s folklore or rhetoric. When I think about our ancestors, they knew how to live on these lands without a garbage can. Today’s society – western education systems – cannot produce a society that can live without a garbage can.”
The piece explores and honours connection to the earth and to each other, but also the traditional sharing of knowledge within Indigenous communities.
“Storytelling is a legacy of my family. These stories are a part of me, so they are naturally going to come out in things that I create,” said Johnston. “Starting from a place that acknowledges the importance, validity and beauty of these stories, I then look to what narrative and images will best portray them.”
Wintertime Stories represents an important acknowledgement of First Nations’ relationships to the land on which KPL Southwest was built. It also introduces Indigenous representation in the City’s public art collection for the first time. Both artists are represented by Highness Global Inc., with their artwork brought to life through the creative support of the firm’s design team. Highness Global Inc. proudly champions a roster of artists including a division of Indigenous artists, working in close collaboration to translate their visions into larger-scale works and new, impactful contexts.
Wintertime Stories was selected in 2023 from more than 40 submissions to an open call for proposals that aimed to prioritize underrepresented artists from Indigenous or immigrant backgrounds. Jurors felt Johnston and Murdoch’s proposal of stylized shapes and natural materials would fit the new library’s design, and that its warmth and playfulness would lend itself to interpretive content and activities. The piece also embodies eco-conscious themes that align with the sustainable focus of the facility’s net-zero build.
“It’s wonderful to see the city’s public art collection grow with the addition of such a meaningful and impactful piece by two talented Indigenous artists,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “I think it can remind us of all the important things that connect us, whether that’s the earth we all share, the people we share our life with or the community that brings us together. I can’t wait to see our community discover and explore this piece for themselves!”
The artwork branches out from a large, central maple leaf, with a flowing design incorporating images of nature, animals and people of all generations living in harmony, celebrating the power community holds while maintaining a connection to creation, ancestors and tradition. It was designed to invite people to recognize familiar figures and enter the piece at any point, travelling through a narrative of togetherness and showing how we are all bound together by our shared environment and social fabric. Natural tones of Baltic birch plywood are punctuated by colourful laser-cut acrylic produced from recycled plastic, creating a sense of movement within the artwork as the colours change with light during the day and night. Many figures throughout the piece have prominent pink hearts, a characteristic of Murdoch’s style.
“Wintertime Stories layers a vital presence and perspective into the Southwest Library, aligning beautifully with the facility’s intent to honour, unveil and share knowledge about our past and potential futures,” said Eric Rumble, Arts and Creative Industries Coordinator with the City of Kitchener. "The artists’ balance of complex ideas and inviting style result in an incredible artwork that creates a new space to connect with First Nations’ wisdom and woodland culture as the city expands and evolves.”
Wintertime Stories is installed in the main programming space of KPL’s new Southwest Library, which is now open to the public. We encourage everyone to visit the artwork for themselves to explore the stories it tells and reflect on where we each fit in them. The artists also share more detail about the piece and their inspiration in a short film, Wintertime Stories: As Told by the Artists, produced by Bawaadan Collective and available now on the City of Kitchener’s YouTube channel.
For more information:
Krystin Scheels
Communications and Marketing Associate
City of Kitchener
krystin.scheels@kitchener.ca
media@kitchener.ca
Amana Manori
CEO
Highness Global Inc
amana@highnessglobal.com
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