The Gordie Howe International Bridge site is getting some flair thanks to several Indigenous murals.
The murals can be seen on the outside panels of the tower crane climbing systems at the construction site. There are a total of four murals on the U.S. side and six murals on the Canadian side, with the largest mural measuring 49 feet by 29 feet.
As the tower cranes extend to their ultimate height of 822 feet, so will the artwork, making them visible from land on both sides of the border and from the Detroit River.
As part of the Gordie Howe International Bridge Community Benefits Plan, a Workforce Development and Participation Strategy was created to provide opportunities for local community members to play a role in the bridge project.
"Normally when you think of that, you would think of skilled trade workers or construction workers. What was very unique about this initiative, is that it was giving local artists an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to this project," explained Vice President of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Heather Grondin.
Paul White, Teresa Altiman and Daisy White from Walpole Island First Nation as well as Naomi Peters from Caldwell First Nation, and Roberto Villalobos from Southwest Detroit were commissioned to create the artwork.
The murals feature a wide display of sacred symbolism and imagery. Altiman was asked by project coordinators to create one mural that features an eagle to represent integrity and another mural that includes a bear to show determination.
Altiman's work has been featured on the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray Parkway as well as at Point Pelee National Park and the University of Windsor. However, she said it was thrilling and an honour for her art to be featured on such a huge scale.
"It's awesome," said Altiman. "It really is an awesome opportunity. I never thought in my lifetime that I would be doing something on this huge scale and for it to be shown in such a prominent location. I'm 72 years old so I think it's marvellous, I've never had this opportunity before."
Altiman said the process began with just drawing the artwork on a small piece of paper and drafting out a one-inch scale of the final project
"You're thinking 'okay, each of these inches of space represents one foot' and it's like 40 feet across. But you don't think about the 40 feet across or the 20 feet high. I'm just illustrating something...I didnt really think just how huge it's going to be," explained Altiman.
The artwork was then enlarged and sketch outlines of the images were applied to individual panels with colour then applied to the panels by brush and spray paint. The panels for the Canadian tower crane were painted at Walpole Island and transported to the bridge construction site in the fall while the U.S. panels were painted on site.
Artists spent a total of around two months creating the murals. The artwork will remain on the climbing systems for approximately two years before being repurposed once the bridge is complete.
"I hope that through my pictures, people will ask questions so that these murals become a teaching tool so that people can learn through them and learn things bout us as First Nations people," said Altiman.
-With files from Maureen Revait