A mural and a plaque were unveiled at the Regina Cathedral Village Arts Festival in memory of Tesalyn Zizzy-Mustatia, who died in 2002. The mural was created in 2003 but was destroyed when the building it was on was torn down 18 years later.
Bev Zizzy, Tesalyn’s mother, said she was approached by the building developers to have the mural recreated, but she wanted to create a space for artists instead.
“It was a wonderful tribute, but it would be a far more meaningful thing if we could just make it a space available for artists to continue that tradition,” Zizzy said.
A plaque was created as a tribute to Tesalyn instead.
“It would be really special if when people remember Tesa, they remember someone dear to them who walks now beside them in silence.”
She said she couldn’t grasp the thought that 22 years later people would still be talking about Tesalyn.
“It’s total gratitude.”
Zizzy said it’s still hard to look at her daughter’s name and not feel choked up. But she said it said a lot about the community, saying there was generosity, respect and values at the heart of it, adding that nobody had defaced Tesalyn’s mural in the 18 years it was up.
