Inside Radiance: Where Art, Healing, and Learning Meet
Inside Radiance: Where Art, Healing, and Learning Meet
For more than 7 years, Yuliya Alagir and Alia Turkunova-Rausch have shared a friendship shaped by resilience, perseverance, and an understanding of what it takes to keep going.
Alia, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), works closely with families navigating separation and divorce, helping them make informed financial decisions and move forward with clarity and care. At times, her work involves supporting families impacted by domestic violence, as she helps clients rebuild stability and plan for their future.
Yuliya’s insight is rooted in her own story. Drawing from personal experience, she knows what it means to break free and search for something that helps the world make sense again. For her, that something was art. “Art became my life,” Yuliya shares.
An international contemporary artist, writing in conceptual symbolism and lyrical expressionism, Yuliya found a way to hold and process her experiences through painting, using art as a path toward healing and moving forward. Today, that same creative force is something she brings into the lives of others.
Together, Yuliya and Alia collaborated on a thoughtful hallway mural at Radiance, designed for young learners. Featuring familiar Canadian animals and landscapes, it is playful and inviting. But the more time you spend with it, the more you notice its intention.
Carefully chosen based on Yuliya’s understanding of child development and psychology, the colours used are gentle and soothing. Rather than overwhelming the senses, it creates a calm space where children can feel safe to explore.
Hidden within the mural are letters woven into the imagery, turning the art into an interactive learning experience. Kids are drawn in, encouraged to explore, observe, and engage. In doing so, they are also building early literacy skills that supports future academic success.
The impact of the mural does not stop there. Art plays a powerful role in healthy childhood development. When children engage with art, whether by creating or simply interacting with it— they learn to form positive attitudes toward creative expression. They begin to build new ways of thinking in ways that extend far beyond the art itself.
After all, art is more than just creativity. It is about curiosity, discovery, experimentation, and learning to see the world from multiple perspectives.
In a shared space like the hall of the Children’s Centre, the mural becomes more than art. It becomes a language of its own, one that invites wonder, connection, and understanding. One child points to an animal. Another child notices and calls out a hidden letter. They turn to each other and laugh, and just like that, a shared experience begins to take shape. Through these interactions, children begin to build empathy, cultural awareness, and essential social skills.
Sometimes, what looks like a simple mural is something much more. It becomes part of a welcoming, caring environment where children can learn, grow, and begin to imagine what is possible.