New mural at the MAC honours Indigenous excellence in sport
Walk into the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) today, and you’ll be greeted by a giant falcon soaring across the wall. It’s the centrepiece of Soaring for Greatness, a new hand-painted mural by Anishinaabe artist and visual storyteller Emily Kewageshig that honours Indigenous culture and TMU’s Indigenous athletics community.
TMU unveiled the mural on Aug. 25. The falcon at its centre represents strength, leadership and perseverance. Around it, the artwork tells the stories of five athletes who represent generations of Indigenous excellence in sport. It honours those who came before, celebrates today's achievements and inspires future generations to reach for greatness.
Emily Kewageshig is the artist behind Soaring of Greatness. She’s also collaborated with several sports organizations including the Toronto Argonauts, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), NBA Canada and the Toronto Raptors to bring Indigenous stories and perspectives into sport.
Honouring a legacy of Indigenous excellence
The MAC was once Maple Leaf Gardens, one of the most storied arenas in hockey history. It was home ice for George Armstrong – the Toronto Maple Leafs’ longest-serving captain and one of the NHL’s pioneering Indigenous players.
Armstrong played 21 seasons with the Maple Leafs and won four Stanley Cups, all of them at Maple Leaf Gardens.
At the unveiling, Armstrong’s daughter, Betty-Ann Armstrong, received a framed, signed print of the mural in her father’s honour. She has her own history with the building, too – she played hockey there about six years ago.
“It's nice to see something nice and colourful on that wall,” says Betty-Ann Armstrong. “It's about awareness and shows how beautiful our Indigenous community is. It's not just hockey, it's all athletes and everybody to see how our community is a beautiful community,” says Betty-Ann Armstrong.
Dan Berger (left), general manager of the MAC poses with Betty-Ann Armstrong and Nick Asquini, director of Athletics. (Photo by: Laki Mihajlovic)
Breaking barriers on and off the ice
Betty-Ann Armstrong still plays hockey today. She remembers a sport that wasn’t always easy for women to break into.
“As time has gone on, those boundaries are being released, which is great. I feel that I kind of helped along the way to make it easier for young girls to play hockey,” says Betty-Ann Armstrong.
She pushed for more opportunities for female players, including helping secure ice time at Leaside Memorial Arena – now home to one of the largest female hockey associations in Canada.
Her family’s Indigenous status was a harder fight.
“They had open arms because my father was George Armstrong, so I don't really find I had too many barriers,” says Betty-Ann Armstrong. “It was a barrier to get our status. That was the problem.”
Her grandmother had lost her Indigenous status after marrying. Thanks to research led by her niece, Kalley Armstrong, the family won its status back within the last three years.
Seeing Indigenous athletes represented
Nastacia Crowe-Missens is a recent nursing grad and the first Indigenous person on the TMU Bold track and field team. (Photo by: Laki Mihajlovic)
Nastacia Crowe-Missens, a recent nursing grad, was the first Indigenous athlete on the TMU Bold track team. Crowe-Missen along with Connor Bowie and Ava Assinewai, from TMU Bold men's and women's hockey were all part of the Indigenous Student-Athlete Advisory Counsel (SAAC) that helped choose the artist for the mural from a shortlist of five Indigenous muralists.
“I really appreciate being a part of that experience and having a connection with the mural,” she says. “I think it was a great initiative to have the Indigenous voices at TMU present.”
Growing up, Crowe-Missens says she didn’t see many Indigenous athletes that she could look up to. Now, seeing that representation on the wall of the MAC means even more.
“To finally see the product feels like a continuing step in reconciliation,” she says. “I hope future students see how much TMU holds space for Indigenous people.”
Community celebration
The mural unveiling brought together members of TMU’s Indigenous community, university leadership, student-athletes and the Kewageshig and Armstrong families to celebrate the unveiling of Soaring for Greatness and what it represents.
Members of the TMU community gather in an Indigenous Round Dance to celebrate the unveiling of Soaring for Greatness at the MAC on Aug. 25. (Photo by: Laki Mihajlovic)
From left to right, Jen Gonzales, interim vice-provost, students; Emily Kewageshig, Anishinaabe artist and visual storyteller; Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano, provost and vice-president, academic and Nick Asquini, director of Athletics pose in front of the Soaring for Greatness mural. (Photo by Laki Mihajlovic)
Jen Gonzales, interim vice-provost, students, hopes everyone who walks through the MAC will stop to take in the mural’s meaning.
“I’m moved by the imagery of a falcon soaring in on a target, while encompassing nature in its wingspan and pulling in energy from the sun and the four directions,” she says.
She says she hopes the mural reminds the TMU community of its students’ goals, the support networks that help them get there, and the hard work of Bold athletes that makes the whole community proud.
To learn more, go to tmubold (external link) .ca
Visit the Soaring for Greatness mural next time you are at the MAC or on a guided tour, highlighting Indigenous art, murals and placemaking around campus.