One of Chilliwack's most recognized downtown murals has been defaced. Buckets of paint were thrown over a large-scale portrait of Inez Louis, a Stó:lō woman and beloved member of the local community, in an act the Chilliwack Mural Festival says was "a hurtful statement directed at Indigenous women."

The Chilliwack Mural Festival shared the news on May 6 — the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls — and was deliberate about that timing. Context, they said, matters.

The work was created in the summer of 2020 by celebrated Canadian muralist Kevin Ledo, based on a photograph taken by Justin Jacob Louis of his wife, Inez. It was among the first large-scale murals to go up in Chilliwack's downtown core, and in the years since, it has become something of a landmark.

The Mural Festival was direct in how they characterized the act. "This mural is more than a portrait or mural to look at," they wrote. "It is a representation of Stó:lō and Indigenous women in our community. The act of vandalizing it was not just damage to paint on a wall, it is a hurtful statement directed at Indigenous women. We do not take that lightly."

The Mural Festival also shared these words from Chief Darcy Paul of Skowkale First Nation: "When incidents like this happen, we come together. We put our strengths together, we support those who are affected and vulnerable, and we come out together and stronger."

The Mural Festival and the Chilliwack Community Arts Council are now fundraising to bring Ledo back from Montreal to restore the mural. Funds will cover his travel, accommodations, paint, supplies, insurance, and artist commission — all administered through the Arts Council. Any money raised beyond what's needed will be donated to a cause of Inez Louis's choosing.

Ledo has confirmed he is willing to return. The community has already begun to respond.

To support the restoration, donate at gofundme.com/f/kevinledomural. If you have Aeroplan or other flight points to contribute toward his travel, reach out to the Mural Festival directly via Instagram at @chilliwackmuralfestival.