Three murals completed by Donna Langhorne celebrate the tri-community. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

strength

Murals showcase unity of tri-communities during COVID pandemic

Dec 20, 2023 | 2:59 PM

Three commemorative murals representing Air Ronge, La Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic as a tri-community have been completed.

Donna Langhorne, known for her Anishinaabe Woodland style paintings, was chosen as the artist to complete the $40,000 project earlier this year. Funding for the project was made possible through the federal government’s Celebration and Commemoration Program’s Reopening Fund and the murals showcase the three communities coming together during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I want to thank the Town of La Ronge for entrusting me with this and choosing me,” Langhorne, who is from Fishing Lake First Nation, said.

“I’ve always wanted to have my art shown in La Ronge, my hometown, and this was it. I waited a long time for support from the town like this and it finally happened, so I’m just very grateful for that and happy they chose me to do it.”

The mural in La Ronge’s Patterson Park features the Montreal River with the three animals in the canoe representing the three communities coming together during COVID. The beavers, otters and the fish in the river represent the public.

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The second mural is located inside the Air Ronge village office council chamber and features a large turtle with people hand-in-hand on its back, alongside flowers and other images.

This mural is located in La Ronge’s Patterson Park. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

This mural will be installed in the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre some time after Christmas. (Submitted photo/Donna Langhorne)

“The third one for the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre, which still needs to be installed, that is based on my painting called The Seven Visions, the one with the northern lights and the wolf,” Langhorne said.

“I had this idea of having three wolves, which are the tri-community, and their tails are intwined together and represents how we call came together as one during the hard times during COVID.”

This project marked the first time Langhorne worked on a mural project and she called the experience different, especially because of the new kind of paint she had to use. The project was initially supposed to be finished by Aug. 31, but that time period was extended as it took Langhorne longer to complete than first expected.

“I seen it as a big opportunity to have my art showcased here in La Ronge. I never really had that before and I just love the idea of doing murals,” Langhorne said.

“I always believed the town needed way more murals and I seen this as an opportunity to be part of that, and I just love what they wanted them to represent. I applied for the call out for artists. I really didn’t expect to be chosen, so it was quite a surprise, but it was an honour also.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com