Deanna Musgrave selected for Maplehurst Middle School public art call

Saint John-based visual artist Deanna Musgrave was selected for the Maplehurst Middle School public art call in Moncton! Her new project "Guiding Principles" is available HERE. 

The series of artworks, entitled “Guiding Principles”, are inspired by Maplehurst Middle School’s focus on building a healthy community. The series includes a large mural entitled "Diversity" in the cafeteria, three circular paintings titled "Wellness", "Community", and "Learning", and three lit globes called "Guiding Lights".

To create the underpainting and cloud-like forms of her work, Musgrave applies a process she calls “watermarking” using significant objects, pigment and water to create marks on the canvas collected from the community. The school contributed objects that represented their story or the guiding principles of learning, community, wellness and diversity.

Musgrave’s work appears in many public spaces. Mirror (2019) is permanently installed at the Carleton North High School Library in Florenceville-Bristol. Nest (2017) is a mural painted to celebrate Canada 150 in the pedway that connects Saint John’s City Hall with Market Square. And Cloud (2015) is permanently installed at the Hans W. Klohn Commons at University of New Brunswick, Saint John.

This $50,000 investment in public art at Maplehurst Middle School is part of the New Brunswick Public Art Policy. Established in 2018, the policy ensures that a percentage of the construction budget for all new provincial government building projects is allocated towards the commission of public art for the new building.

Following policy guidelines, a selection process was undertaken with an external evaluation committee including two parent representatives, two Anglophone East School District representatives, and one professional artist. In total, 17 professional artists applied to the artist call.

Congratulations to Deanna Musgrave!