On September 21, Natura, the mural and collective work by Madeleine Turgeon and Claude Thivierge, was inaugurated at Hudson's Mount Pleasant Elementary School, during the school's annual barbecue, attended by 400 people: students, parents, teachers and artists.

As Ms. Turgeon explains, the work was completed last spring, and the school chose to officially inaugurate it at an event bringing together all the players in the community.

As Madeleine Turgeon explains: "Before Claude Thivierge and I started the mural, the school had just been repainted in white and light grey (the walls were quite dark blue) to bring in more light and reduce the visual load, not to say the visual pollution.

"Now the school is calmer and the focus is on the mural at the entrance. It not only beautifies the reception area, but also serves as a pretext for educational projects in English, French and many other subjects."

The work created with the participation of young people and their ideas replaced another that had been there for 20 years, says Madeleine Turgeon. In an effort to make a link with the past, the students were invited to write down what they thought and felt about the previous work to create a book that will be available in the library, thus ensuring artistic continuity.

Ms. Turgeon recounts the story behind the creation of the work: "The students at Mount Pleasant School participated in the creation of a mural (35 x 8 ft.) located in the entrance hall, using a few large animals cut out of 3 PVC panels. 

"The students learned to paint with acrylics, to use stencils, but above all to create for fun.

"It took 20 days to complete."

Here's the text that appears on the thumbnail of the work (we've separated the elements for easier reading):

• NATURA, 2023 Oeuvre collective - 1ère à 6 ème année / Collective work - Grade 1 to 6 Acrylique, panneaux PVC et verre / Acrylic, PVC panels and glass
• Conception et direction artistique / Design and artistic direction Madeleine Turgeon, Claude Thivierge
• Directrice / Principal Dominique Daoust Assistante / Assistant Melissa Pelletier
• Comité de la murale / Mural Committee Véronik Buchmann, Kirsten Bourdages, Jessica Jenkins, Ann Galaise, Jane Malone, Karolina Mielnik, Marie-Ève Pilon