Guiding Principles, Deanna Musgrave

In 2021-2022, Guiding Principles was commissioned by the Province of New Brunswick for Maplehurst Middle School as part of the Public Art Policy for New Brunswick. This represents a government investment of $50,000. The pieces included in the project are now part of collectionArtNB

Guiding Principles | Browse Collection | collectionArtNB.

The series of artworks is inspired by Maplehurst Middle School’s focus on building a healthy community. The series includes a large mural entitled "Diversity" in the cafeteria, three circular paintings titled "Wellness", "Community", and "Learning", and three lit globes titled "Guiding Lights".

To create the underpainting and cloud-like forms of her work, Musgrave applies a process she calls “watermarking” using significant objects, pigment and water to create marks on the canvas collected from the community. The school contributed objects that represented their story or the guiding principles of learning, community, wellness and diversity.

Saint John, New Brunswick artist, Deanna Musgrave, is best known for her monumental paintings and public artwork such as, “Cloud” (2015), which is part of the collection of the University of New Brunswick; displayed at the Hans Klohn Commons building in Saint John, and measures 10’ high and 56’ long, as well as, “Nest” which covers the entire pedway between Saint John City Hall and Market Square. Her most recent public artwork, “Mirror” (2019), was unveiled at the Carleton North High School in Florenceville-Bristol and includes two back-to-back 6’6” circular paintings. Her work “Tropos” (2011/19), which measures 8’ high and 48’ long, recently found a permanent home at the University of New Brunswick’s (Fredericton) new Kinesiology building.