I’d sometimes stare at a blank space on the Sir James Douglas (SJD) building while waiting to pick up my daughter after kindergarten. We were usually excited to see each other, much like the other students at SJD were excited when I’d visit their classrooms over the following years to share my knowledge of Coast Salish art. By the time my daughter was in second grade, I had an idea to create a mural in that blank space. Part of the idea was to allow the students and community to have a personal connection to the mural and the culture behind it.

With permission of SJD, I created a lesson plan that involved the mural  project. To encourage connection with the mural I wanted the students to know the subject well through a traditional oral story. I told three Coast Salish stories to the students during multiple classroom visits and incorporated related art projects to the lessons. The students became invested in the project over the following weeks.

After the in-classroom portion of the project was complete, I created a substate on which to paint the mural. I chose a house front as Coast Salish houses were featured in the stories. I built the left side of a Coast Salish house front, containing a visible roof edge and door, from cedar planks. Construction took place at SJD while the students came to vote. I talked more with the students about Coast Salish plank houses, oral traditions and the purpose of the art during their voting visits. They were also encouraged to colour Coast Salish art and ask questions.