Nov. 10, 2022
Seneca News
Unveiling The Reciprocity Mural
Graduate artwork paints a picture of endless possibilities at Seneca
The Reciprocity Mural, a stunning floor-to-ceiling art display, has been unveiled at the recently-renovated Newnham Campus Cafeteria, which has been thoughtfully renamed, The Pond.
Spanning seven walls, the mural highlights Seneca’s seven campuses as well as its diverse community, teaching and learning spaces, and landscapes.
Under the artistic direction of JoAnn Purcell, Program Co-ordinator, Illustration diploma program, and Martha Newbigging, Program Co-ordinator, Art Fundamentals certificate program, a team of five artists — all Seneca graduates — took on the task of seeing the project through from conceptualization to completion.
“We were inspired by the concept of Au Large and wanted to include experiences from across the institution,” said Dr. Purcell. “We looked through an equity-based lens with a focus on individuals and scenarios. The representations challenge tropes and showcase the voices of students, employees and alumni.”
Introducing The Pond, Newnham’s cafeteria:
The Seneca community contributed ideas to name the recently renovated Newnham cafeteria. The Pond pays homage to campus history when a water body on site was a popular gathering place for students and employees. The name was announced at the grand opening event of the cafeteria and the unveiling of the Reciprocity mural on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022.
The title of the mural, Reciprocity, stems from the acknowledgement that there is no hierarchy among material manifestations of culture, history or biology; all is entangled and dependent.
Its entry point is a relief called the Animal Parade, on the Flint and Feather wall across from Starbucks. It was conceptualized differently from other aspects of the mural. The animals serve as beacons and are shown together in this tableau without the intervention of humans. This illustrates the importance of animals’ guidance to the mural and to the origins of reciprocity.
Throughout the mural, there are also depictions of a system of harmony between humans, plants, animals, and rocks to show how Anishinaabe teachings can be woven into curriculum. A ribbon of blue water — the only splash of colour on the mural — snakes its way across each wall, representing the source of all life.
Each wall includes designated beacon animals whose association with Anishinaabe teachings organize the illustrations of Seneca programs, disciplines and events. An example are the high-flying birds, such as the eagle or the hawk, acting as messengers to represent art-based programs where students learn to tell stories and illustrate ideas.
To develop a visual representation of Seneca’s past, present and future, the illustration team consulted the Seneca community and spent days combing through Seneca’s archives.
Morgan Kagesheongai, a graduate of Seneca’s Illustration diploma program, was one of the Seneca alumni who worked on the project, along with fellow Illustration graduates Erick Reyes, Mir Rosha and Sara Sarhangpour, Animation graduate, Maryam Ghosirad and project photographer and videographer, Gary Wu, a Photography graduate.
Kagesheongai worked alongside Sarhangpour on the design of the human illustrations. Nicknamed the “human beans” (thanks to their bean-shaped torsos), they represent the diversity of the Seneca community.
“I took up an intermediary role between JoAnn and the team and used my background as an Indigenous person to introduce Indigenous themes and concepts to the work under the guidance of Peggy Pitawanakwat, Co-ordinator, First Peoples@Seneca,” said Kagesheongai.
Another point of interest of the mural is the empty box hidden on each wall. It represents the symbolic empty box given to Seneca’s founding President Dr. William T. Newnham by first Board Chair Dr. Fred Minkler, with the following words:
“This is Seneca College. Take it, find a building, renovate it, develop courses and an administration, hire teachers and enrol students. And we want it to be the finest in Canada.”
There is an empty box hidden in plain sight on every wall to amplify the idea of limitless possibilities for all who enter Seneca.
“The team of skillful artists were fantastic to work with,” said Dr. Purcell. “The mural is a true collaboration with guidance of First Peoples@Seneca and the inspiration provided by the Seneca community, past and present.”