Community Spotlight

Winnipeg Mural Project Highlights Immigrant Stories Through Art

Newcomers share their journeys via vibrant public murals that now decorate downtown walls and bus stops.

Published March 26, 2025 | By Marcel Deschamps

A public art initiative in Winnipeg is turning blank city walls into powerful storytelling canvases that showcase the experiences of immigrants who now call the city home.

The Mural Voices project launched earlier this year, led by local artist Javed Zaman and a collective of newcomers from over a dozen countries.

Each mural is developed collaboratively through storytelling workshops, where participants share memories of displacement, hope, and arrival.

So far, eight murals have been completed across downtown Winnipeg, with themes ranging from lost homes and refugee journeys to local celebrations and community strength.

Passersby can scan QR codes next to each piece to hear the voices of the contributing artists and learn about their stories.

The initiative is funded through a partnership between the City of Winnipeg, a private arts foundation, and several immigrant-serving organizations.

Community response has been overwhelmingly positive, with social media posts praising the murals for 'adding humanity and colour to the concrete.'

Educators are using the murals as part of social studies and language lessons, and plans are underway to create a printed guidebook for students.

Zaman says the murals are just the beginning. 'We want this to be permanent, not just paint on a wall, but part of the city’s cultural memory.'

A ninth mural is scheduled for completion next month in collaboration with Indigenous artists, symbolizing dialogue between newcomer and First Nations communities.