The City of Winnipeg moved closer to its 150th anniversary Monday with the unveiling of a new graphic celebrating the city’s heritage.
Mayor Scott Gillingham said the city worked with local Indigenous artist Jordan Stranger of Totem Doodem on the logo, which will be used for events and branding throughout the year as Winnipeg celebrates its historic sesquicentennial.
It will also appear on banners outside city hall and on future merchandise via The Forks Trading Company.
“We were excited to work with Jordan Stranger on a Winnipeg 150 graphic to use throughout the year that represented our city, while acknowledging the importance of our community’s Indigenous roots,” Gillingham said in a statement Monday.
“Embodying the Winnipeg 150 theme ‘our shared stories, our shared future’, the graphic is rich in symbolic details and meaning.”
The colourful design is based around a turtle shell — representing Turtle Island — overlaid with the city’s outline. Stranger said it highlights the North Star, the waters of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, crops like sage and tobacco, a crocus — part of the City of Winnipeg’s crest — trees representing the seven sacred teachings, and footsteps on the path to reconciliation.
“Creating a graphic for the city that I grew up in was a huge honour,” Stranger said.
“I hope this graphic can be a symbol for growth and reflection on what Winnipeg has to offer and what we wish to accomplish.”
Winnipeg’s 150th anniversary will be officially marked Friday, which is the anniversary of the first meeting of city council.