AC alumna and local artist’s work helps guide the campus in the right direction

Posted on Tuesday, June 14th, 2022

Spotted on campus– Bear. Wolf. Blue Jay. Moose. Deer.

If you recently visited the B, C, or D buildings you may have noticed several large murals vividly depicting five Indigenous animals. These are the work of Miskomin Twenish, a local self-taught Algonquin artist from the Kitigan Zibi community, and 2018 Algonquin College graduate.

“When I make art, I want it to be uplifting,” said Twenish. “I like colours that are bold, bright, vibrant and alive. I wanted to make sure to do that with this project while working with the schools colour theme, because it’s nice to see bright colours in a school and in public spaces.”

Twenish was drawn to the project from the beginning and believes having Indigenous art on campus is good for all, but certainly for Indigenous students. “It’s really nice to see Indigenous art while on campus. I hope Indigenous youth in post-secondary see this and feel good mentally, spiritually, inspired and not so isolated. Hopefully my art will do that, it is one of my main goals and what I’m aiming for when I make art.”

She said having art on campus that reminds students of home is crucial. “When I was a student on campus, to see Indigenous art made me feel connected. To see artwork away from home that can remind you of home is really important.”

The project allowed Twenish to work in a new medium. “My main projects are acrylic on canvas, but this work was digital. I did the sketching on my iPad then created a vector in Adobe Illustrator. I wanted to take a risk.” She adds, “I’m just starting to work in this medium and I wanted to push myself to learn. I wanted to make sure the quality was good so there was a bit of trial and error.” Clearly the end project was successful.

The murals are part of a larger wayfinding project. Names were provided by Indigenous Education Council in order of cultural significance and each pathway was assigned a colour for wayfinding and signage accents. Signage has been created by Algonquin College’s Marketing team, using inspiration from the current wayfinding system, DARE district aesthetics and existing Indigenous themes on the Ottawa Campus.

View more art from Miskowin Twenish on Instagram @miskotheartist_.


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