Colourful mural on Donald D. Summerville pools’ west wall celebrates links to Indigenous culture

By JESSICA SHACKLETON

The western wall of Donald D. Summerville Olympic Pools has just become the new home of a colourful mural.  

Emily Kewageshig is the artist behind the mural. She is an Anishnaabe artist and visual storyteller from Saugeen First Nation No. 29. A graduate of both Sheridan College and OCAD (Ontario College of Art & Design) University, this project is the largest mural she has done yet. 

Located at the foot of Woodbine Avenue by the Boardwalk, the pool wall mural project began with an art call in which artists submitted applications. She then did an in-person presentation to community members, and they voted on their favourite design.

“Mine ended up being selected, and I was really excited about that. It’s the biggest mural I’ve ever done; I’ve never done anything on this scale. I typically do indoor murals,” she said. “So this was a really big challenge for me to take on.”

Production on the mural began at the end of August and was completed last week.

Kewageshig spent three or four days a week working on it due to the physical demands and sheer size of the work.

“When I got the project, I said, ‘Can I do this? Am I able to take on something this massive and finish it?’ I did it, I proved to myself that I can,” she said. “The process was really difficult. The texture of the wall, the location was very busy. It seemed like I had a lot of obstacles in my way that I overcame.”

“But I’m a painter, that’s what I do, so the painting was the easy part,” said Kewageshig.  

Donald D. Summerville Olympic Pools is located on Woodbine Beach by the Boardwalk, which is a popular spot for walking and biking. The pool opened in 1963 and has been a fixture in the neighbourhood ever since. Many people passing by were curious about the mural project, said Kewageshig.

“Every day I had about 50 people that would stop and shout at me if I was up high on the lift, or to come down and have a conversation. I chatted with hundreds of people,” she said.

Though it sometimes slowed the process, she was happy to tell people about herself and the mural’s story. Locals who took the same route daily tracked the progress and were impressed with how it was coming together.

“I ended up meeting a lot of locals who were very kind and gave me a lot of compliments and encouragement, which kind of pushed me to get it done and also feel proud because they have told me how much this mural has brightened the community,” said Kewageshig.

She said people she spoke to appreciate the mural’s link to Indigenous culture and how it’s no longer a gray wall but a reflection of the area’s beautiful surroundings.

She hopes people will learn from the mural. 

“I hope that it allows Indigenous culture to be more mainstream. People see it on a daily basis. I want that representation to be there so that Indigenous people feel proud when they see it. I had a lot of Indigenous people stop by and say they hadn’t seen something in this area of this size and at this scale,” said Kewageshig. “I want them to also think about the storytelling because there are elements within the mural that I incorporated purposefully. Every single element has a meaning.”

Kewageshig works with vivid colours, bold lines, and a combination of traditional and contemporary materials. The mural explores the relationship between underwater beings, land beings, and sky beings while visually referencing Indigenous ties to the City of Toronto. The overarching theme is “Mino bimaadiziwin,” which is an Ojibwe phrase meaning “the good life.”

The mural would not have been completed without assistant Jennifer Messon, who was with Kewageshig throughout the whole project.

The mural was commissioned by StreetARToronto and curated by Troy Junker. Kewageshig was selected by an Indigenous committee to lead the project.

StreetARToronto was initiated in 2012 as a program to reduce graffiti vandalism and replace it with intentional art. The program, run by the city, showcases local art in public spaces. It has about 3,000 murals around Toronto. 

This is Junker’s first time seeing a project like this through. He said it feels great to now be able to look at the completed mural on the pool’s wall.

“What’s really cool is that the digital render Emily sent at the beginning looks exactly like this,” said Junker.

He agreed what Kewageshig said she had been hearing from residents and regular visitors to the Beach about the mural.

“A lot of my friends live in the Beaches, and I was telling them about the unveiling, and they said, ‘I walk by there every day. I didn’t know you were involved with this,’ so that’s pretty cool,” he said. “They say it’s beautiful.”

Junker thanked Kewageshig, her assistants, StreetARToronto, pool employees, and BPL Events for getting the mural completed. He also acknowledged the committee, and both Junker and Kewageshig agree that the long process has been the wait.

Kewageshig has completed the feature wall and was already working on the secondary wall, hoping to power through and finish it before it gets too cold. The third stage of the project is the pool’s 10 pillars, scheduled for completion in spring 2026.

An official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the mural on the pool’s west wall is set to take place on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Two Indigenous Elders will lead the opening and closing ceremony, entertainment  will be provided by Cale Crowe and hand drummers, and refreshments will be served. The mural opening celebration will take place rain or shine.

For more information, please go to https://www.instagram.com/p/DQo1nxyEsKx/