Public Ceremony Officially Unveils Mino Bimaadiziwin, Good Life, 2024

On October 3rd, the official unveiling of Mino Bimaadiziwin, Good Life, 2024 took place at a public ceremony hosted by Exhibition Place. A drumming and smudging ceremony led by members of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) kicked off the event, followed by several speeches from the artists, father and son duo August and Luke Swinson; Chief Claire Sault, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation; Ausma Malik, Deputy Mayor and City Councillor, City of Toronto; and Don Boyle, Exhibition Place CEO. A ceremonial ribbon cutting rounded out the proceedings.

The unveiling event marked a significant step forward for connecting communities with Indigenous knowledge and history through public art.

Mino Bimaadiziwin, Good Life, 2024 is one of the largest, permanent Indigenous public art installations in Eastern Canada, standing in a highly visible location at Exhibition Place– which attracts 5.3 million visitors each year–and the nearby Gardiner Expressway–one of Canada’s busiest highways averaging 140,000 vehicles travelling daily on weekdays.

This prominent location gives millions of people each year the opportunity to view and interpret Indigenous stories being told on a 50m x 7m steel canvas that, in the words of the artists, reflect the natural world around Toronto, while portraying how the land had been long before the city was built.

In our role helping to guide the artists’ vision from concept to a detailed design, STUDIO tla has been truly honoured for the opportunity to collaborate with Luke and August, Exhibition Place, the MCFN Culture & Design Advisory Committee, and community advocates to celebrate the cultural and historical significance of MCFN as Treaty Holders.