Interior Health is proud to collaborate with local Ktunaxa artist Blaine Burgoyne, who has created two murals in the newly opened Golden Primary Care Centre.

“The murals are a welcome addition to the facility in Golden and are a testament to the possibilities that can be achieved when Indigenous Culture and art come together. Thank you to Blaine Burgoyne for sharing your talents with healthcare facilities throughout the entire region,” said Shannon Statham, Director, Clinical Operations.

Blaine Burgoyne has been a photographer for seven years and is the owner and operator of Indigenous View, a business specializing in canvas wall art. He was born and raised in ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa, with his family on his father’s side from ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation (Windermere) and his family on his mother’s side from ʔaq̓am (Cranbrook).

Blaine is passionate about capturing the local landscape on film, shared through his work.

“My work as an artist is all about bringing attention to moods and feelings,” he said. “Capturing emotion with my photography brings a sense of emotion back to the viewer. If a photo can make you feel a certain way, then it’s done its work. Getting out of traditional photos and into expression, the important thing for me is having a lens to tell a story.”

Blaine is happy to see his work up in the top of ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa in ʔaknuqⱡuk (Golden). He created the murals for the Golden Primary Care Centre as a source of inspiration for patients and staff.

“The flowers at the front entrance of the GPCC are about family. It’s about knowing the ones before you, the ones who have bloomed to their full capacity to do what they did or do, to clear the way for us, to create that path you follow with many who pay attention,” he said.

“It’s about the future and the past but also being in the present while acknowledging the work and paths many have, choosing to be where they are now.”

“The second mural is a piece about freedom. It’s about big ideas. The sky is the limit, but also you share the sky with others that are already soaring. This mural is about knowing the freedom of being and the contributions you can deliver. Personally, for me, it’s a “sending off for your journey by Yawuʔnik̓,” Burgoyne said.

Golden Primary Care Centre is among a growing number of IH facilities and spaces where visitors can draw comfort from Indigenous artwork and photography, signage and language.

This includes artwork at the Nelson Health Campus, which was also provided by Blaine Burgoyne. Several other facilities throughout the Kootenay region also include Indigenous art, like the Cranbrook Urgent and Primary Care Centre, Rocky Mountain Lodge, East Kootenay Regional Hospital, Creston Valley Hospital, Invermere and District Hospital and Elkford Urgent and Primary Care Centre.

“I’m very happy with this artwork in a place like this, it helps with emotions, it is inviting and gives you a warm environment rather than that white or beige wall colour and bright lights. It gives patients some common interests or a sight of something beautiful to help get your imagination going wildly,” Burgoyne said.

The Golden Primacy Care Centre opened its doors in the community on Jan. 27. The new facility brings several local services together under one roof, making it easier for people to receive coordinated, community-based care close to home. It is home to the East Kootenay Primary Care Network team as well as the maternity program, public health nursing, dental hygiene, newborn screening, and chronic disease management.

Lead image: Artist Blaine Burgoyne standing alongside ‘Indigenous View,’ one of two murals he created for Golden Primary Care Centre. Interior Health photos

Interior Health

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