Kamloops-based Indigenous artist, Chris Bose, will work with Indigenous Nations across the region to lead the design of a new "cultural wall" at Royal Inland Hospital.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Interior Health

Secwepemc and Nlaka'pamux artist Chris Bose will lead the design of a new "cultural wall" at Royal Inland Hospital's new tower.

By engaging with Indigenous communities across the region, Bose's design in the Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Tower will represent peoples that live in the region from territories across the Interior.

"I'm thrilled to be given this responsibility, to bring together so many different cultures into one artistic representation," Bose said in an Interior Health news release.

He will work with members of the Secwépemc, Dãkelh Dené, Tsilhqot’in, Northern St’at’imc, Nlaka'pamux and syilx Nations, along with the Two Rivers Métis Society, Métis Nation B.C. and Inuit people that live in the area.

“There is incredible artwork represented in all of the Nations in this area. To have art that represents our people in the hospital, it means a lot. To be able to show the culture of the different Nations and help make the hospital more welcoming to our people, that is our goal," Bose said.

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The cultural wall is funded by the RIH Foundation and will be found on the first floor of the new tower once it opens in July.

“The new installation is an example of how we can work together with local partners to help make health facilities in B.C. more welcoming,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said in the release.. “I look forward to the completion of this important art project to see how it helps the Royal Inland Hospital better represent local communities, making it a more inclusive place for all patients.”

Along with the cultural wall on the first floor, each floor will also feature a "spirit animal motif" selected by Secwépemc Elders and supported by Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc chief and council.

“We have every confidence in Chris’s ability to complete and capture the essence of who we are within Secwepemcúlecw, showcasing our beautiful territory. We see the wall project design as an opportunity to educate, create awareness and take steps towards meaningful reconciliation, while providing inclusion to us, as the direct local First Nation, and to all Indigenous clients of RIH," Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Kukpi7 (chief) Rosanne Casimir said in the release.

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Bose is a multi-disciplinary artist, known in the Kamloops art community and is a founding member of the Kamloops-based Indigenous art collective, Arbour Collective.

“This artwork will provide a warm welcome to all people who enter the hospital, honouring the rich diversity through the region and serving as a clear reflection of our shared commitment to cultural safety,” Interior Health president and CEO, Susan Brown, said. “As we look toward the opening of the Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Tower at RIH, I would like to thank Chris Bose and all of the project partners for their support.”

Once the tower opens this summer, renovations will start in other areas of the hospital, including the emergency department, pediatrics and the morgue.

In multiple phases, the capital budget for the project is $417 million, which is shared among the Province, Interior Health, the Thompson Regional Hospital District and the RIH Foundation.

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