A girls’ group at Cedar Hill Middle School called Melanin Magic has created a new outdoor mural for the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.
The students, who identify as girls of colour, are enrolled in the gallery’s New Extreme Mentorship Program.
The program pairs local artists with groups of youth across Victoria to explore various aspects of being an artist and engaging with contemporary art.
Led and mentored by queer Afro-latinx/Ojibwe artist Andréa Searle, the group created a mural, visible on the outside of the gallery facing Moss Street, based on the question: “How do we fit together?”
As the girls explored themes through design and colour, the idea of individual silhouettes took form.
The silhouettes are intentionally black to represent how children of colour continue to be marginalized, or seen as different or “other” by society.
Through weekly meetings, the girls found points of contact — similar stories of marginalization, as well as shared values, insecurities and hopes.
The backdrops, or puzzle pieces, fit together, depicting contact.
The mural will be on display until next spring.
The New Extreme Mentorship Program is supported by an Emerging Artists Grant through the RBC Foundation.
• For more information, go to aggv.ca.
