Bringing Our Community Mural to Life

Over the past several months, a new mural has been taking shape at the Inclusion Yukon office, and we’re excited to finally share the finished piece with our community! What started as a blank wall soon became a collaborative project shaped by community input, local artistic talent, and many helping hands.

The mural at the beginning stages of painting!

A Mural Shaped by Community

Before any paint went onto the wall, we invited community members to share their ideas about what they wanted to see in the mural. We gathered input through an online consultation, conversations and activities at our office, and an in-person community input session.

These conversations helped us explore what belonging, inclusion, and community could look like in a piece of public art. The ideas and themes that emerged became the inspiration for the mural’s design, which was brought to life by local artist Hakim Regine.

Creating Art with Reused Materials

This mural project was funded through the Whitehorse Community Thrift Store’s Sharing Our Success Fund. The fund supports community activities that align with the Thrift Store’s values and help divert waste from the landfill. The mural was created using reused or fond paint, brushes, and other materials, with the goal of building community and supporting local Disabled artists. The only new purchases were painter’s tape and a few small sample cans to colour-match specific shades. We’re grateful to the Whitehorse Community Thrift Store for making this project possible and supporting an initiative that brought together community art, accessibility, and creative reuse.

Meet the Artist: Hakim Regine

Hakim Regine (they/he) is an artist who creates within many disciplines including theatre, music, and visual arts. They especially enjoy making people laugh, collaborating with “non-artists”, and being radically silly with their Trans, Queer, Racialized, and Disabled communities. This is their first time painting a wall this big and they hope to do more in the future!

Drawing on the ideas shared during the consultation process, Hakim developed a design that celebrates the diversity of life in the Yukon and the connections between us.

In Hakim’s words:

“My focus while designing this mural was to bring colour and joy into the Inclusion Yukon space. I was especially inspired by the themes “neurodiversity is biodiversity” and “you belong under this sky” that showed up during the community consultation process. The result is a patchwork of creatures that call the Yukon home painted onto bright backgrounds, underneath a whimsical sky: may we all feel belonging and interconnectedness when in this space.”

Many Hands Bringing the Mural To Life

Over several painting sessions, the mural gradually took shape as bright colours, familiar Yukon creatures, and a whimsical sky began to fill the wall. Community members had opportunities to get involved throughout the process, including at our Community Mural Painting Party in September.

During the painting party, participants were invited to add their own artistic contributions by painting fish that would become part of the river running along the bottom of the mural. Each fish is a small reminder of the many people who helped bring this mural to life, and of the creativity that exists within our community.