‘She’s all of us’: mural illustrates ties between city, grateful Ukrainian newcomers

Blue and yellow ribbons wrapping around the city’s skyline show the deep connection between Ukraine and Manitoba in a new mural.

Take Pride Winnipeg, a downtown non-profit that seeks to clean up and inspire civic pride, unveiled its newest mural, titled “Pray for Ukraine” in the Exchange District on Monday.

It pictures a Ukrainian woman in traditional clothing stoically gazing into the distance as butterflies and a dove — which symbolize hope, peace and rebirth — flutter around the Esplanade Riel and Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

The installation at Exchange District BIZ at 492 Main St. was painted by Jennifer Mosienko, who’s worked on more than 40 murals across the city.

Mila Shykota, a 46-year-old Ukrainian newcomer and the brainchild behind the project, wanted to repay the generosity Winnipeggers have showed her and others with an art piece that intertwined the two cultures with the colours of Ukraine and Canada.

“I wanted to convey the longing for the motherland, that feeling when you’re physically here but still worry about your home country,” said Shykota. “This mural reflects the difficulties and hopes of all immigrants, and at the same, thanks Canada for the feeling of support.”

More than 20,000 Ukrainians have made Manitoba home since the war began in 2022, federal numbers show.

Shykota was living in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city, and moved with her husband and daughter to Winnipeg after Russian forces invaded. She had visited Winnipeg multiple times in 2015, when her husband was studying at the University of Manitoba.

She sees herself in the woman portrayed in the mural and believes it represents all Ukrainians who fled the war.

“She’s all of us,” said Shykota. “We all the feel the same way. We had to start our new lives from scratch.”

Shykot began fundraising for the six by nine metre mural after deciding it was the best way to show appreciation to her new city. The campaign raised $25,000 and she brought the idea to Take Pride Winnipeg, who connected her with Mosienko.

The two worked together on the project for a year, refining the idea before Mosienko began the brush strokes. Painting it took nearly three months.

The artist said it was an emotional experience for her because her husband and relatives are Ukrainian, and she grew up eating Ukrainian dishes and celebrating Ukrainian traditions.

“I hope it will mean a lot to the Ukrainian people that live here and the ones that are newcomers as well, that they can look at it and say ‘we have a place here, too,’” Mosienko said.

matthew.frank@freepress.mb.ca