The final day of the Regina Cathedral Village Arts Festival saw the unveiling of a mural and a plaque in memorial for Tesalyn Zizzy-Mustatia, who died in 2002.
A mural was created in honour of Tesalyn in 2003, but the building the mural was on was torn down after 18 years.
Bev Zizzy, Tesalyn’s mother, said she was approached by the building developers to have the mural recreated, but she said she wanted a space for artists.
“It was a wonderful tribute, but it would be a far more meaningful thing if we could just make it a space available for artists to continue that tradition,” Zizzy said.
Instead, a plaque was created as a tribute to Tesalyn.
“It would be really special if when people remember Tesa, they remember someone dear to them who walks now beside them in silence.”
She said she couldn’t grasp the thought that 22 years later people would still be talking about Tesalyn.
“It’s total gratitude.”
Zizzy said it’s still hard to look at her daughter’s name and not feel choked up.
But she said it said a lot about the community, saying there was generosity, respect and values at the heart of it, adding that nobody had defamed Tesalyn’s mural in the 18 years it was up.