An art submission by Vancouver resident Jessica Terezakis took first place in a province-wide mural contest held by the by the Provincial Eating Disorders Awareness (PEDAW) campaign and the Vancouver Graffiti Management Team.
As the winner, Terezakis’s art will be painted on a container mural in Vancouver by a professional lead artist. Her art will also be displayed at the October Eating Disorders Association of Canada (EDAC) Conference taking place in Vancouver.
The contest explored the question, What does love our bodies, love ourselves mean to you?
In a description submitted with her artwork, Terezakis said: "The cage bars represent the confines of our histories, cultures, and lies that the eating disorder has created to keep our authentic selves imprisoned. Only when we willingly open the cage door will we really learn to love our bodies and love ourselves."
The Provincial Eating Disorders Awareness (PEDAW) campaign is a BC initiative to raise awareness around prevention and early intervention of eating disorders as well as media literacy, resiliency, building healthy body image and self-esteem.
The effort is led by Jessie’s Legacy Eating Disorders Prevention Program at Family Services of the North Shore in collaboration with Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre, Looking Glass Foundation, St. Paul ’s Specialized Adult Eating Disorder Program, BC Children’s Hospital Eating Disorders Program, Healthy Minds, Healthy Campuses and Project True. PEDAW is launched the first full week in February with activities and events taking place throughout the year.
See the rest of the winners here.
