Studio 120

✨️🦅 MURAL POST

I'm super excited to share this finished piece with you all. Temporarily untitled, and located at Centennial Park, this painting tells a story of strength, resilience, community, and connections. It was an honor to create this mural for the City of Mount Pearl and its community members. I'm incredibly thankful for the amount of appreciation already shown this for piece, along with those that showed up for the unvieling in the rain and wind this past Sunday 🙌

A huge thank you to the wonderful people that work for the City that made this possible, along with the amazing folks at First Light for their continued guidance and support for my work.

ARTIST STATEMENT 🎨
"This artwork honors Mi’kmaq presence across time, land, and generations. Created for the City of Mount Pearl, it recognizes the deep and continuing relationship between Indigenous people, urban spaces, and the natural world.

The mural takes viewers on a visual journey from past to future, celebrating the vibrancy, resilience, and cultural strength of Indigenous peoples. It reminds us that visibility is more than being seen; it’s about being remembered, respected, and celebrated.

Flowing through the center of the mural is the Waterford River, surrounded by forest and cityscape, hieroglyphics, and sacred medicines; each representing teachings and connections carried forward through generations. By blending traditional and modern elements, it shows that Indigenous culture is alive and evolving; rooted in the past, thriving in the present, and guiding us toward the future.

This mural stands as both art and teaching; a daily symbol of respect, recognition, and connection for everyone in this community."

- Melissa M. Francis
Studio 120 NL
2025

Check out this post from the City of Mount Pearl from the mural unvieling yesterday afternoon - thank you so much to everyone that braved the wind and rain to come out and celebrate this piece filled with culture and colour, and to the great folks that made this event possible! Keep an eye out later this week for a post of the full painting 🎉

Last week, I started working on a mural at Centennial Park in Mount Pearl that focuses on themes of urban Indigenous communities, presence, and visibility.

Keep an eye out for this colorful piece coming to life next alongside City Hall for the rest of the month and into October, and stop by for a sneak peek 👻🎉

📸 there may (or may not be) a couple of cute creatures at the end that I saw one morning heading into town 🦌

City of Mount Pearl
First Light