Canada 150 Diversity Mural Beads
Route Blue Buoys - Art of the Ocean,  Michelle Loughery Wayfinder Project

“Art and heritage inspires and engages in artistic storytelling and conversation.  The Canada 150 – Diversity Mural Beads’ Route Blue Highway Buoy™ program will celebrate and connect our multicultural strengths. As buoys have origin stories, so do our First Peoples and new Canadians. Collectively, their stories are connected and interwoven in the roots and routes of this great nation of Canada.” – Michelle Loughery

Michelle Loughery, Artist and Art Educator, for more than 25 years, Michelle Loughery has been using her gift as an artist to mentor, train, teach and inspire youth at risk and their communities. She uses a unique approach, large-scale public art installations, to bring capacity building, communication, education and healing opportunities to communities across Canada. Michelle's murals are world famous, as is her success as a facilitator and youth educator. Every community she engages with her youth driven mural projects benefits from having original art installations, workshops, celebrations and incredible education opportunities.

Through her Wayfinder projects, Michelle has created a series of mural projects that employ at risk youth in rural and marginalized communities. The projects, which run in duration from three weeks up to several years, are focused on rehabilitating youth and communities, exploring and learning from our shared history and various cultures, building capacity and employment/economic opportunities. By engaging young people, and helping to grow their sense of pride in their work and communities, Michelle is able to bridge generation and cultural gaps that have been contributing to social dysfunction. Youth employed by her projects are taught to see the value in recognizing their own cultural journey, as well as that of our community elders. They learn to embrace their value as citizens, and that they have something of value to contribute to our national community.

Master Muralist, Michelle Loughery

www.michelleloughery.org

www.routeblue.ca