'This is our place': Indigenous mural at centre of new Prince George housing project

Catherine Garrett · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 20, 2026 11:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: August 20

A new mural in downtown Prince George is putting Indigenous culture at the centre of a housing project aimed at supporting people experiencing housing insecurity.

Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS) said the final touches have been added to the artwork, which was commissioned by the Raven-Tacuara artist collective, at 611 Brunswick St. 

The project is focused on increasing access to safe and culturally grounded housing, and supporting individuals and families facing housing insecurity. 

By reducing barriers to affordable housing, CSFS said, the project creates pathways to long-term well-being. 

"It's a multi-age building and we wanted to make sure that it was reflective of our nations, of who we are, of our culture," said CSFS chief administrative officer Mary Teegee. 

"We really wanted it to be comfortable and inviting and also to have a sense of ownership that this is our place, this is our home."

The building will house all ages, from youth to elders, said Teegee, so it was important to have something that reflects the community. 

"We certainly didn't want a sterile place where it just looks like you had another apartment building. It makes it unique to who we are as First Nations people here," she explained. 

 "So when we look at that mural, it's beautiful … but also it's healing. I think it gives our people a sense of pride." 

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Created with teamwork

The Raven-Tacuara artist collective specializes in large-scale community murals that blend Northwest Coast formline with South American muralism. 

The mural in Prince George features a bear, caribou, beaver, frog and two grouse. The artists worked together over the course of 14 days to complete the piece. 

One of the artists is Stephanie Anderson, a Wet'suwet'en carver and educator from the Likhsilyu [small frog] clan, who is based in Terrace, B.C.

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She said the design was created with the help of Indigenous youth who would be living in the space. They also worked with CSFS and the youth council. 

"A collaborative conversation, finding out what makes you feel warm, what makes you feel like you belong," Anderson explained. 

"We take all of that information and we put it all into kind of our big pot of feeling and imagery, all of those things, and we work together as artists to translate that."

On the wall is a direct representation of the Fraser River joining with the Nechako River, said Anderson, combined with the feelings of picking berries and harvesting. 

"So we have spruce shapes coming up on either side. It's like a very focal point of the different clan animals, with the medicines and the nourishment on the ground, on the edges," she said. 

For Anderson, the artwork's prominent location is meaningful, but it's about more than that. 

"We get so much from our community, whether it's support, friendship, our families, there's so much that we receive," she said.

"We get these projects and we're able to take all of that energy and then start that reciprocal relationship, and we start giving back."