Prolific Tsuut’ina muralist and artist Keegan Starlight has been added to the roster of Canadian artists whose work adorns the halls of the BMO Centre.

His new work, Always In My Heart, was honoured with an unveiling party on April 30, after two years of work to create one of the largest paintings on display at the convention centre.

The subject of his work was his family’s long-standing connection to the Calgary Stampede as one of the original tipi holders from the first days of the agricultural exhibition, and his daughter.

“Having the family tipi in the background, my daughter in the photo with the red dress on, it just means everything to me. It brings me back to when I was a kid walking through the Western Showcase, and I was like saying to myself, ‘I’m gonna have a piece in here one day,'” said Starlight.

Also present in the painting is an ethereal horse, which represents the connections that humans have to the spirit world, he said.

“You can see in her hair, she’s got a little bit of the same colours mixed into it, so it’s that connection always being a part of it,” Starlight said.

“Then also with the gold leaf that goes around the border, that represents the 360 days of the sun. Each one of the jingles, the gold jingles, represents the days of healing, since all the stuff happened with us. It’s a combination of connection to the land, to the spirit world and to the tradition.”

Starlight’s work is likely best known to Calgarians at the Central Library, where his mural adorns the entrance space next to the Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall.

He said that having the work at Stampede Park was special because it would continue to prompt conversations about what it means to be Indigenous.

“I want people to feel comfortable talking about it, asking questions, and knowing that it’s OK to ask questions, and follow up on what the symbolism is, right? I think people have a hard time mixing up the whole appropriation with, authentication, and authentically asking the right questions about what we’re about,” Starlight said.

One of the largest paintings at the BMO Centre

The painting was commissioned by BMO for the convention centre, as part of their century-old relationship with the Calgary Stampede.

“We were very privileged and proud to continue to be associated with the new BMO Center, and that provided the opportunity to commission this piece of art,” said Paul Seipp, Regional President for Bank of Montreal, Prairies.

“We knew that the Stampede, together with the Indigenous community here in Calgary and Alberta, had an important heritage—one that needed to be celebrated, to be acknowledged, and certainly to provide education to the hundreds of thousands of people that come through this property.”

He said that BMO has worked with Starlight before on commissions, and that this work represented an opportunity to continue that relationship with a local artist.

“He had a vision. We provided very little guidance. But effectively to educate, to create awareness and to celebrate the community at large is what’s brought us here today.”

“This is the latest installation or addition, but we’ve been committed to art organizations and the community at large since 1817, since BMO has been around. This is where we live, this is where we work, and this is where we grow.”

Always In My Heart has now become part of the more than 80 works of arts that belong to the Calgary Stampede’s art collection at the BMO Centre.

“It’s a big building, and I would say that our public art committee did a great job of selecting the pieces that are displayed in the BMO, and those pieces are really placed in the right positions with regard to their scale and the space,” said Joel Cowley, CEO of the Calgary Stampede.

“There is no doubt we needed a big piece here to make a statement, and Keegan delivered. This is incredibly exciting to see, not only our friends from BMO, our volunteers and volunteer leaders, others from the community, and of course, treaty seven, showing out to show their support for Keegan as we unveil this beautiful piece.”

Starlight’s work will be on permanent display across from Hall A, and near the east Stampede Trail entrance to the BMO Centre.