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As a teenager growing up in La Ronge, Jade Roberts says she remembers the excitement of trips to Saskatoon.
A visit to Midtown, the biggest mall in Saskatchewan, wasn’t just a shopping trip. It was an event.
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“Coming to Saskatoon is always a big deal when you’re coming from out of town,” she recalled in an interview with 650 CKOM. “Midtown is the spot. You can shop here for anything.”
Back then, the walls of the mall were just walls. Plain, functional and generally unremarkable.
Roberts never imagined that one day those walls would become her canvas.
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This vibrant mural in Saskatoon’s Midtown mall features native prairie plants, bold Woodland-style linework and a sun that symbolizes a treaty promise. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
Today Roberts lives in Saskatoon, but her work displays the bold, vibrant spirit of her northern roots.
Her latest piece, covering an entire wall at Midtown, is a sweeping mural drawn digitally on her iPad and transformed into a massive vinyl installation.
“This is probably the biggest project I’ve ever done,” Roberts said. “It’s enormous!”
The massive project came about through a simple message.
“Someone from Midtown just reached out to me on social media,” Roberts explained. “They said they wanted to put some art in the mall from local artists. I honestly was a little bit surprised that they chose me. It was kind of random. I didn’t have any connections to anyone at the mall or anything like that. It was nice though; it was a welcome surprise to be asked to do something of this scale.”
Telling stories through art
Roberts’ art is inspired by the Woodland style, a vibrant, narrative-rich Indigenous art form known for its bold lines.
“I’m very much inspired by nature and my culture,” she said. “You’ll see a lot of florals. Animals. I’m very inspired by the land and also by stories and storytelling.”
The mural at Midtown is no exception. Without much creative restriction from the mall, Roberts said she saw a chance to tell a story through her art.
“I thought, ‘Well, it’s going to be in a very busy place where a lot of people from all over Saskatchewan come,’” she said.
“I wanted it to represent the land that we’re standing on. I wanted it to represent the territory that we’re from.”
A story set in colour and vinyl — and now, in words. This plaque below the artwork shares the vision behind Roberts’ mural. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
Every element in the piece has meaning.
“You can see Saskatoon berries. You can see purple aster, a prairie crocus, prairie sage, prairie coneflower, blueberries and a tiger lily,” Roberts explained.
“There’s some line work in there that’s supposed to represent water. And then also a tree line. I come from the north, so trees are huge to me. That feels like home.”
At the heart of the mural is a blazing sun, which Roberts said represents the treaty promises.
“It’s ‘As long as the sun shines, the grass grows, the rivers flow,’ so I wanted to include that into this piece so that we can recognize where we’re standing and the treaty territory that we belong to,” Roberts explained.
Seeing the big picture
Working digitally meant Roberts didn’t quite grasp the full scale of her project until she walked into the mall and saw it with her own eyes.
“I work on an iPad, and so it’s very small scale to me,” she said.
“When I walked in and first saw it, I was like, ‘Holy man, it’s an entire wall!’ I was surprised at the size, but I think it turned out really great.”
The mural is 76 feet of story, sunlight and Saskatchewan flora. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
The mural spans 76 feet 11 inches wide and stands 7 feet 6 inches tall, a major presence along one of the mall’s busy corridors.
Roberts said she designed it with intention. The piece is simple, striking and full of colour.
“I just wanted it to kind of pop when you walk by, like you are hit in the face with some florals and it’s really bright. I like the way it turned out,” she said, a proud smile on her face as she gazed up at the mural.
Full circle
Roberts said she isn’t just proud of the work; she’s proud of what it represents.
“I feel grateful that I was chosen, and I think it’s really important to showcase local artists and local Indigenous artists, specifically here in our territory,” she said. “I feel honored that I was the one chosen to do this piece.”
Beyond the personal milestone, Roberts said she sees the mural as part of a bigger shift toward inclusion, representation and community pride.
“I think having our artwork in public spaces like this is incredible. I am seeing more and more that people are really investing in artists and taking the opportunity to beautify their spaces using local artists,” she said. “It’s really important that we support art in our community and support the artists that are living and working here.”
But the most poignant moment of all?
“My boy is really young right now. He’s not quite two, but we did bring him here to see this,” Roberts said with a smile. “I don’t think he really noticed or cared much. Maybe eventually, when he’s a little bit older, it’ll be different when he walks in here and can say ‘That’s my mom’s artwork!’”
And maybe one day, like Roberts once did, her son will walk through Midtown as a young teen. Only this time, he’ll look up at a wall and see not just a mural, but a legacy.
From La Ronge to Midtown: Jade Roberts stands before the biggest project of her career so far, a mural inspired by her northern roots. (Brittany Caffet/650 CKOM)
