• To me, there's three key things and it's community, beauty and nature. I think if we connect with nature and if we produce beauty, that is something that we as humans I think is our biggest gift. And I'm not just talking about creating art : speaking beauty, listening to beauty, creating beauty, opening our hearts to beauty in community. Because if we don't have a sense of the other in ourselves, then we're lost, we cannot do it alone. And this has been proved forever. But I think if we have these three things, to me, as the kind of person I am, we have it all. We're connected with nature, understanding that we are nature, we are part, we are one with nature and we are interacting with other human beings. And we create beauty and we inspire by beauty. It would be a completely different world. And that to me is like the mission of the arts.

My conversation with Claudia Salguero, a Colombian Canadian community engaged artist based in Ottawa, where I live on the unceded lands of the Algonquin-Anishinaabe people. Claudia is well known for her vibrant and expressive murals. They are literally all over Ottawa and explore themes of identity, culture and social justice. You'll hear the color and the energy in her voice. I asked Claudia to give an example of one of her projects. She spoke about The Wisdom Mural, which is inspired by the teachings of Ottawa based knowledge keepers. I love the way Claudia identifies three key elements of… community, beauty, nature. 

Show notes generated by Whisper Transcribe AI

Action points

• Recognize the vital role of community, beauty, and nature in art creation and appreciation.
• Explore the Wisdom Mural project and its inspiration from diverse knowledge keepers.
• Understand how art can facilitate healing and connection, especially in times of crisis.
• Value the importance of listening and understanding different perspectives to foster communication.
• Support community-engaged art as a means of giving voice to marginalized communities.

Story Preview

Discover the story behind Ottawa’s vibrant murals and the artist who uses art to connect communities and heal hearts. From a vision inspired by nature to a powerful encounter with a grieving stranger, explore the transformative power of community-engaged art.

Chapter Summary

00:00 The Essence of Community, Beauty, and Nature
00:56 Meet Claudia Salguero
01:37 The Wisdom Mural: A Dream Project
03:51 Engaging with Knowledge Keepers
05:30 Symbolism and Meaning in the Mural
08:02 Community Engagement Through Art
11:54 Art as a Healing Tool

Featured Quotes

• To me, there’s three key things and it’s community, beauty and nature.
• The important part of this community mural creations is not the mural itself. It’s all that happens around it or before or behind the mural.
• We need to learn to listen, to understand why somebody think the way they think. Because it’s not for free. You have reasons to be who you are and to act in the way you act.

Behind the Story

Claudia Salguero shares the inspiration behind her Wisdom Mural, a project that brought together ten knowledge keepers from around the world to explore the unifying power of nature. The mural, a towering piece of public art in Ottawa, has become a symbol of connection and healing, especially poignant during the pandemic and the discovery of unmarked graves at indigenous residential schools. One moving story highlights how the mural helped a grieving man find solace after years of pain.

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END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020 on un-ceded Anishinaabe Algonquin territory (Ottawa). 

It’s my way to give back.

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish free ‘a calm presence' Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.

Your feedback is always welcome at [email protected] and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on July 8, 2025