Viola Desmond Legacy Art Project

The North End Business Association, and the Viola Desmond Legacy Committee wish to recognize the accomplishments of Viola Desmond through a commemorative legacy art piece to be erected on Gottingen Street in Halifax’s North End in the fall of 2022.

Community Consultation
December 6, 2021

A community conversation on a legacy art project to commemorate the impact of Viola Desmond’s activism and business contributions

Share With Us

A project of this scale and importance makes your feedback extremely valuable. Please take a moment to tell us what you know about Viola and how best to commemorate the impact of Viola Desmond’s activism and business contributions.

Call to Artists

We seek to commission a qualified artist or artist team to create a new permanent public artwork to celebrate the life and legacy of Viola Desmond. A grand prize of $100,000 will be awared to the winning proposal. 

About Us

The Viola Desmond Legacy Committee was established in 2018 in order to see the late Viola Desmond recognized in the city where her actions in business and civil rights have a lasting impact. The committee is made up of Tracy Jackson (North End Business Association), Sylvia Parris-Drumond (Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute), Bernadette Hamilton-Reid (African Nova Scotian Decade for People of African Descent Coalition), Tara Taylor (The Braiding Lounge Salon), Ross Cantwell (The Velo) and Lindell Smith (Councillor District 8)