Untitled

Untitled by Eugene Demas portrays a mural of a clear-eyed, strong Aboriginal woman, gazing straight ahead at the viewer. A zigzag border frames the backdrop of mountain and star-studded sky, adding imagery that imbues the mural with beauty and hope. Painted directly onto the rough exterior concrete wall, the mural is a call to head the dignity of those living in danger on the streets. 

The mural was originally commissioned in 1994 (although it entered into the City of Edmonton public art collection in 2004) to help transform a notorious drug den known as ​“the Fortress” into Kindred House, a drop-in refuge for persons involved in prostitution. Kate Quinn, a community member who helped marshal her neighbourhood to reclaim the space says that, ​“we wanted to show women of strength and dignity and pride in themselves. Eugene really heard and then painted what we envisioned.” 

The mural is one of three the Lakota Sioux artist painted inside the house on 103 Avenue near 96 Street between December 1994 and January 1995.

With the building sitting vacant for years, and the need for more affordable housing, the Edmonton City Centre Church Corporation (E4C) demolished the old building to make way for the Crossroads Duplex, but not before rescuing two of Demas’ murals. The relocation of the mural was funded by E4C, with the aid of Linda Wedman, director of Edmonton’s Art & Design in Public Spaces. According to Martin Garber-Conrad, Executive Director of E4C, saving the mural was deemed a priority ​“not only to share the exceptional painting skills of an inner city Aboriginal artist, but as a tribute to the human spirit; that even in a place that has seen indescribable evil, art and beauty can grow.”