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K’ómoks artist Pamela Mitchell’s work to be showcased on NIC housing

Mitchell calls this piece ‘the knowledge keeper’
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A rendering shows the frog button blanket design for the new Student Housing Commons. (Submitted/NIC)

The first work of art announced for the new North Island College Student Housing Commons will be a design by K’ómoks First Nation artist Pamela Mitchell.

It will be prominently featured on the exterior of the buildings facing the main campus road. Mitchell’s image is of a frog button blanket, which will mark the passageway between the two main wings of student housing.

“I knew it was the Knowledge Bridge, just because I have been working with North Island College on the project for a bit now. I got their vision of what the whole essence was,” she said.

Mitchell calls this piece ‘the knowledge keeper’ because the frog is known for characteristics like adaptability and knowledge. “Frog brings great wealth and power as he travels and lives in the two worlds, water and land,” she said in a statement about the work.

Further, the button blanket represents home and family who uphold students on their journey while celebrating their achievements in life.

The black of the fabric is the house front, the red borders are the walls and the roof, and the opening at the top ‘neck’ represents the smoke hole. The design also represents the many generations of family and ancestors.