PDF file - Mural Routes

Fall/Winter 2004 Volume 5 No. 3
Downtown Vernon Mural Project
Learning in a real world…
one youth at a time
By Michelle Loughery
“Murals are about people having an effect on their cities,
taking responsibility for their visual and physical environment,
leaving records of their lives and concerns, and in the process
transforming neighborhoods, making inspiring artists out of
the youth of our communities.”
“It’s art for the people, this project belongs to everyone from
the funders, to the community, the organizers, the crew and
to the past and future of Vernon.”
I
t all began with a few paintbrushes, some
donated paints, anxious smiles and a
huge vision.
Six years later the vision is a
inside
this issue
Global Mural Conference
________________________2
Arte Para Todos
_______________________3
Mural Funding
_______________________4
Youth mural project
_______________________6
Hillcrest Village Mural
_______________________7
National Symposium
_______________________8
reality.
With
close
to
two million dollars of funding
from the Government of
Canada and the City of Vernon
along with thousands of dollars
in donations from the community, the Downtown Vernon
Mural Project has completed
26 large-scale heritage murals
on downtown buildings. These
historic murals are paintings of
the pioneers who played a
significant role in shaping the
Vernon of today. The murals
are paintings of actual photographs found in the Greater
Vernon Museum or donated by
local residents. This project
has involved much more than
just sketching a few designs
and taking up the brush. What
began as a four-month
program has turned into a sixyear project with close to 100
youth taking part in the community participatory creation.
The project was structured
like
any
full-time
job.
Downtown Vernon Mural Project’s Ogopogo Mural, depicting the
legendary creature of British Columbia’s Lake Okanagan in the First
Nation tradition of N'ha-a-itk.
Interested students applied for
the job and went through an
interview before acceptance
into the program. Experiences
in the real world motivate
profound learning for several
reasons. Through the mural
project, youth learned many
valuable job-related transferable skills including teamwork,
group dynamics, leadership,
creative thinking, and problem
solving. The project provides a
positive and motivating role
modeling alternative leadership activity for the youth.
Educational activities associated with the development of
these murals are a critical
component of the project.
During sessions each week, the
youth studied the historical
content and message of each
mural, and took field trips to
some of the other murals
completed in Vernon as well as
internet traveling to other
mural sites. The youth learned
how to create a portfolio and
resume–many of the youths
who are creating these murals
have never had significant
exposure to the internet or the
job opportunities open to them.
The core idea behind the
development of the mural
project was the idea to create a
tourism draw to the downtown.
Through the beautification and
revitalization of the downtown
area, a tool for economic gains
would be obtained. Over the
duration of the project, I found
that many of the myths regarding seniors and youth were
dispelled. The seniors feel comfortable telling the youth their
stories and the youth learn
about community history
through storytelling. The
project seems to be a draw in
the community–a live theatre
production at times–with
residents and tourists alike
sitting to watch the progress. I
strongly believe that the mural
project was the catalyst in
Vernon for the revitalization of
the downtown. Without the
mural project the downtown
could well have gone on to
further decay and neglect,
See Vernon, page 7
OFF THE WALL Fall/Winter 2004
from the Executive Director
There’s always something exciting in the
air when summer fades to autumn and
this year is no exception! Planning for
our annual symposium has been in high
gear for the last couple of months and
those of you joining us in Toronto on
November 12, 13 and 14 will not be
disappointed.
Here is a sampling of what’s in store:
Director of the Toronto Sculpture
Garden and public art consultant–Rina
Greer–will be inspiring us with her
keynote speech; renowned trompe l’oeil
artist John Pugh comes to us from Los
Gatos, CA to share his work and give
tips on creating trompe l’oeil; artists
Phillip Woolf, John Hood, and Rudi
Stussi host an artists’ information session; and Louise Aspin, Campaign
Manager for the Ontario Science Centre
will be holding a corporate fundraising
clinic. For complete program information and registration–please visit
www. muralroutes.com.
For the past eight years, Mural
Routes has been gathering mural artists
and administrators together to learn
from one another and share their own
experiences at our annual symposia.
This year promises to be one of our
best–I hope to see you all there!
Jackie Santos is the Executive Director of
Mural Routes.
Mural Routes Board of Directors:
President: Karin Eaton
Vice President: John Hands
Treasurer: Barb Beecroft
Secretary: Hedi Greenwood
Directors: Louise Aspin, Carol Knowlton-Dority,
Mark Dias
Executive Director: Jackie Santos
Newsletter staff:
Editor: Andrea Raymond
Layout/design: Janice Bennink
Contributors: Karin Eaton, Michelle Loughery,
Karole Marois, Brenda Sedgwick and Trudy Turner
Mural Routes gratefully acknowledges the hard
work and generosity of many individuals and
organizations. It receives support from the Ontario
Trillium Foundation, the City of Toronto through
the Toronto Arts Council, Banner and Mural and
Graffiti Transformation programs. Mural Routes
was founded by Scarborough Arts Council, with
whom it continues to partner with in the arts.
Mural Routes
1859 Kingston Road,
Scarborough ON M1N 1T3
tel: 416.698.7995; fax: 416.698.7972
e-mail: info@muralroutes.com
web: www.muralroutes.com
Charcoal Oven Mural by Chris Krieder, 2003, at 595 Aultman St., Ely, NV. One of 20 murals that
make up Ely’s Outdoor Art Experience.
Global Mural Conference
August 25-28, 2004
Ely Nevada
By Karin Eaton
A
t first glance, there is nothing much
around Ely, Nevada but miles and
miles of desert. My first glance was a
bird’s eye view from the Scenic Airlines 19
passenger Twin Otter aircraft from Las
Vegas. En route the landscape changed
from the flat, dry and sandy to mountainous with high desert vegetation and
glimpses of water courses reflecting in the
sunset. Nestled in a valley, the lights of Ely
appeared like an inviting oasis. At an elevation of 6260 ft. the night air was unexpectedly chilly. There is only one flight a day to
Ely, and I had arrived too late for the
artists’ reception, the official opening of the
conference by founder Karl Shutz, the
entertainment by the Silver Eagle
Shoshone Dancers and the Murals by Dark
tour. And that was just the evening agenda.
Our conference hosts, Ely Renaissance
Group, created a dense conference
program and managed it with superb efficiency and delightful hospitality. There
was a wide variety of presentations, too
many to mention all. Over the course of
the conference there were updates of
mural projects in Lampoc, CA, Moose
Jaw, Sask., 29 Palms, CA and Ely, NV . We
heard artists’ perspectives from John Ton,
Roger Cooke, Vicky Andersen, Art
Mortimer and John Pugh, to name a few.
There were impressive displays by artists
and organizations from across the globe.
Using the Mural Routes website as a tool,
I presented the Mural Map of Canada and
discussed opportunities to get on the map.
Sarah Sweetwater introduced us to
labyrinths and there was a demonstration
of barbed wire sculpture by Bernie
Jestrabek-Hart. Some of the best parts of
a good conference are the after hours
networking and brainstorming. There was
plenty of time for that, while we soaked up
the ambience of local haunts such as the
Jailhouse Casino Motel and the Hotel
Nevada.
While it is true that Ely is in the middle
of the desert, it is not an isolated community. It seems that all roads in Nevada
converge in Ely. The town and surrounding
White Pine County has a colourful history
and is bustling, busy and entrepreneurial. It
has a culturally diverse population with
proud local traditions. It is a hub of
tourism, particularly for outdoor enthusiasts. It boasts one of the most complete and
active railway museums in North America.
And yes, there’s gambling and cowboys as
well. This is what happens when you follow
the mural trail–you end up in towns you
might never have visited otherwise.
Gordon, Baron Prestoungrange invited
everyone to gather in Scotland for the 2006
Global Mural Conference. And it was
announced that in 2008 the conference will
take place in Tasmania, Australia.
The conference was a great opportunity
to make new friends, renew old acquaintances and forge the bonds of the mural
community. With thanks to members of
the Ely Renaissance Society (particularly
Lorraine Clark) who did a great job of
introducing us to their Outdoor Art
Experience and of hosting an excellent
event. They helped to make connections,
let’s keep them active.
Karin Eaton is the President of Mural Routes.
Fall/Winter 2004 OFF THE WALL
Arte Para Todos
By Karole Marois
(Art for All) Festival in Honduras
July 15 - 30, 2004
education, the beach and looking towards the blue
protection of the horizon. A simple, universal message
environment, the of love and peace. The title is
combat
of “Esperanza”.
HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
Like its neighbours from
diseases, the promotion of gender Guatemala, El Salvador and
equality and empowering of women, Nicaragua, Hondurans witnessed
the reduction of child mortality, the their share of real images of revolueradication of extreme poverty and tions and hardships. Our artworks
hunger, the improvement of materwere to bring messages of hope and
nal health, and the defence of
compassion.
human rights.
Fifty-six artists were brought
The United Nations, the Office
together in Tegucigalpa, joined by
of the First Lady of Honduras, and
the City of Tegucigalpa would pay our love of art, adventure, and
all expenses, i.e., the airfare, hotel, humanitarian causes. We were truly
food, transportation, events, trips a mixture of cultures, languages, ages
and art materials. In exchange, we and styles. Around 40 international
artists would donate our time and artists (two from Canada) and 16
artwork to the people of Honduras. from Honduras created each a mural
Hmmmm... I searched the web or sculpture.
In addition to this, several young
for more info.
Honduras has a rich artistic Honduran artists and approximately
history, starting with the Mayan 80 Honduran volunteers, some from
civilization, and a deep appreciation Escuela de Bellas Artes (School of
of art. Ninety per cent of the popu- Fine Arts) and some from
lation is now Mestizos (Spanish and Universidad
Autónoma
de
Indigenous) and speak Spanish. Honduras helped with the artwork.
There is a small percentage of
See Tegucigalpa page 4
Indigenous
people, and some
Garifunas
of
African descent
in the North,
a l o n g t h e
Caribbean Sea.
A quick check
w i t h t h e
C a n a d i a n
Embassy, and I
naturally accepted the invitation.
The sketch I
sent to the UNDP
office related to
the themes of
maternal health,
child mortality
and hunger. I
chose to portray a
young family havArtist Karole Marois (centre) with University students in Tegucigalpa, while
ing a picnic on a working on her mural near the airport.
On March 31, 2004, I received
an unusual email:
Dear friend,
Congratulations for your excellent
work. I am currently making a big
cultural event in Tegucigalpa,
Honduras in July, artists from all over
the world will come and paint murals
and make sculptures. At the same time
there will be two weeks of Latin
Culture music, dance and interchange.
I am annexing the information related
to the event, it would be great to see
you here.
Best regards, Peter Claesson
I was tempted to simply delete
the message, but I decided to read
the annex and investigate the
source. Peter Claesson is with the
United Nations Development
Program (UNDP) and the brainchild of this cultural event called
“Arte Para Todos” (Art For All). He
had apparently found my name on
the web. The festival was taking
place in Tegucigalpa, the capital of
Honduras, from July 15 to 30.
Hmmmm...
The aim was to bring life to
downtown Tegucigalpa with murals
and sculptures created by national
and international artists. By doing
so, the event would offer the local
citizens the opportunity to enjoy
public art. The artwork would transmit positive messages and invite
people to reflect, while improving
the appearance of public spaces.
Tegus, as the Hondurans call it, is
generally visitors’ first impression of
Honduras and “this is important for
the tourist sector,” said Peter
Claesson, coordinator of the United
Nations Volunteers.
The themes for the development
of the sculptures or murals were
“The Millennium Development
Goals”. Those goals included the
achievement of universal primary
3
OFF THE WALL Fall/Winter 2004
Funding
The business end of murals
By Trudy Turner
Y
ou are a strong believer in murals.
You have great ideas, fabulous
walls just waiting for a mural, and
talented
artists
waiting
to
create. All you need is the cash. Where
can you find the money to do all that
you want?
Don’t despair–there are an amazing
number of ways to find funds for your
program. This article will cover the most
often used method that we implement in
the West End of Winnipeg. Although
not all of these components or suggestions will work in every community,
some will work in all communities.
Collaborative Funding
Although often the easiest way to create murals, this method involves serious
research into what sources are available
to you in your community. A true collaborative project will involve funding
and/or in-kind support from many
sources–we have had up to six different
“sponsors” for our projects and we
rarely have less than three.
So where do you find these
partners? There are several avenues to
explore with each mural project including
funding bodies, other non-profit/community groups, business owners, related
businesses, neighbourhood residents, etc.
Funding Bodies
These can be government agencies,
independent philanthropic foundations
or other granting bodies such as community groups. As an example of government agencies, we are fortunate in
Winnipeg to have some good programs
offered by city/province collaboratives
such as Neighbourhoods Alive! and the
Building Communities Initiative. These
are programs designed for the betterment of core area or “at risk” communities and both the province and the city
4
contribute funds. With these programs,
each community designates its individual priorities. Therefore, to be successful you must get in on the ground level
and do your pitch to the people deciding
on the neighbourhood priorities–before
all the funds are designated. These people must believe in the ability of murals
to transform a neighbourhood, reduce
graffiti, instill or reinforce community
pride - all the good things we all know
and consider common knowledge.
Unfortunately, common knowledge is
not as common as you may think and
many people are not aware that murals
are anything other than pretty pictures.
If you do your job right, and they understand the far-reaching benefits of
murals, the funding bodies will be
thrilled to financially support your
program.
Independent
philanthropic
foundations are located in virtually
every major centre and often in smaller
communities (in Winnipeg we have
organizations such as the Winnipeg
Foundation
or
Thomas
Sill
Foundation). These usually only accept
applications from registered charities
but often you can partner with such
organizations within your community to
complete the applications. Again, ensuring they understand the far-reaching
benefits of murals makes the sell much
easier. Other granting bodies can
include organized community groups
(like the Shriners, Lions Club, Rotary
Club, etc.). These groups can be
persuaded to fundraise for a special
project – especially if it is meaningful to
their group. The secret to getting buy-in
from these organizations is to choose a
project that complements the individual
organizations goals and interests.
Individual Business
Contributions
Individual businesses get involved
because it’s good for business. That is
pretty much the only reason for an
individual business to part with
their hard-earned cash. As an
administrator, it is your job to convince them that your project will be
good for their business. If the wall
you want for your mural is on their
building, this is easy! I am sure you
work hard to promote the murals in
your area–conducting tours, creating
calendars, holding dedication events,
and sending out press releases. Just
share that information with your business owner (along with all the benefits
of murals reducing/eliminating graffiti,
etc.) and they’ll be thrilled to participate! This works extremely well when
you are only asking for a relatively small
portion of the cost of the project (under
50 per cent). Other businesses not actually “receiving” the mural (ie. it’s not on
their building) can also be enticed to
participate especially if your project is
on a community club or other venue
where people gather. Having their name
on the project will provide great exposure to the attendees (translation:
potential future customers!). It will also
create awareness within the community
that that business is a good corporate
citizen– recognition that is very difficult
for businesses to get on their own. If the
business offers paint or scaffolding, selling them on the project is easy because
it provides them with product related
advertising of their business interest.
Neighbourhood residents
and community groups
If you know that your project is going
to have wide appeal to the community,
by all means consider launching a community campaign. As an example of this,
we recently had a mural painted honouring a “local hero” from our community–Zoohky. Although this fellow
meant nothing to anyone outside our
community, once we painted Zoohky 35
feet tall the community was in awe.
Word quickly spread and we received
cheques and contributions not only from
within the community but from across
the country – as former residents heard
about the project. After the mural was
completed, the community wanted to
see Zoohky’s trademark bike added.
Fall/Winter 2004 OFF THE WALL
Once we committed to this, a local business owner came forward and offered a
whopping $2,500 to help us get the job
done. We are now running a matching
funds campaign with the community so
that every dollar donated is matched by
this initial donation (up to the maximum
of $2,500). A relatively painless way to
generate $5,000 in additional funds that
will complete the project.
So quit trying to go it alone and go after
partners for every one of your mural
projects! Not only will you be pleasantly
surprised at the results, but you’ll also be
spreading the word and educating people
about the many, many advantages to community murals. (AND the more you do it,
the easier it gets!)
Next Issue: The more creative fund-raising
ideas: Mural Mentorship & Mural
Restitution
Trudy Turner is Executive Director of West End
BIZ Inc.
Revitalizing Tegucigalpa from page 3
The Hotel Plaza San Martin
contributed to the event by providing
individual rooms for the 56 artists.
Various restaurants supporting the
development project donated the
superb dinners.
UN volunteer drivers and coordinators were provided for each group of
artists.
Since we only had 15 days to complete our work, we were eager to start
ASAP, but in Honduras, nothing happens immediately. “Mañana por la
mañana” is always better.
We had of course a few problems.
Many of the artists ended up with a
different wall than the one intended.
Mine was 14 feet high by 21 feet wide,
therefore more horizontal. I was not
able at the time to do such a great job
of modifying my image to fit the wall.
My mural started at 30 feet above the
raised sidewalk, which meant I needed
five levels of scaffolding. Because of the
risk of theft, the scaffold had to be dismantled every night, and reassembled
every morning, so fortunately the UN
decided to hire two armed guards to
watch my scaffold at night.
Platforms were difficult to find, so
the few narrow and warped wooden
platforms would have to do.
Comex, a Mexican company,
provided the paint and some brushes.
Many of us brought our favourite
brushes from home. Although not all
colours
were
available,
the
primary colours were in store. The
tory that private companies supported
cultural projects.
First Lady, Aguas Ocaña de
Maduro was very supportive with her
hospitality and financial help. In honour of all the artists who transformed
the city, she arranged a farewell gala
party in the Presidential Palace.
Shannon Claesson, Peter’s wife, also
dedicated muchissimo of her time and
energy for this event, and made sure her
husband’s dream came true. The artists
are enthusiastically waiting to hear
about Peter Claesson’s next artistic
dream,
and
wherever
it
is,
I’m in!
paint was Vimex, a sort of very elastic
vinyl exterior acrylic latex. I do not
know how long these murals will last,
but I hope the colours do not fade for at
least another five years.
My mural was painted on the
Estadio Nacional (Ntl Stadium), and I
managed to complete it before an
important soccer game took place that
was going to force the removal of the
scaffold. Before I had time to relax, the
hotel asked me if I would paint another mural near the airport, and I crazily
agreed. Loca! With only three days left
Karole Marois is an Ottawa artist and
before my departure, I painted a por- painter.
trait of a young Honduran girl and the
written message
said: “When I
grow up, I will be
a pilot.” The promotion of gender
equality
and
empowering of
women
was
another
“UN
Millennium
Goal” theme.
Individual
owners and companies sponsored
the
marble,
metal, ceramic
and cement for
the sculptures.
Peter Claesson
stated that this
At work on Tegucigalpa’s Estadio Nacional (National
was the first time
Stadium)
in Honduran his-
5
OFF THE WALL Fall/Winter 2004
Mural tells a story
of change
Chrysalis, in progress during Mural Routes’ summer
2004 mentorship program
Yvonne Garson is one of the members of Bluffers
Tales, a storytelling group based in Scarborough.
Yvonne’s story resonated with the muralists, and is
depicted in their mural along with stories told by
other members of Bluffers Tales. Also particularly
inspiring was the story of The Butterfly and the
Duchat, told by Anna Kerz. This collaboration of
storytelling and mural art was a great success, as
can be seen when looking at the finished piece,
Chrysalis.
The Gift
By Yvonne Garson
My parents and I are from the old country, they
are Polish, and met in London, England after World
War II. My Babcia ran a boarding house for Polish
ex-officers, and that is where my mother met and
married my father. Tatus, my father, heard from a
good friend of his that Canada was a good place to
live and to find a job. So Tatus decided that we
would move to Canada.
Tato went ahead to Canada to find a job and a
place to live. Mama stayed behind to look after us
four kids and to pack. Mama didn’t have boxes, so
she bundled up our belongings in blankets and
quilts and sewed them up, “just like gypsies”, she
jokingly said. We took only our clothes and personal
possessions and Mama’s dishes and pots and
pans. Everything else was sold.
We stayed with Babcia and Dzadio, our grandmother and grandfather until it was time to leave.
I loved spending time with Babcia. She told the
most wonderful stories of life in Poland, back on
the farm, before the war. She really missed
Poland. She had a special picture she kept on the
dresser in her bedroom. It was a picture of her
standing in a field of wildflowers with a butterfly
6
This past summer, Mural Routes
partnered with Scarborough Arts
Council once again to create a
summer
mural
mentorship
program that culminated in the
creation of a butterfly inspired
mural, titled Chrysalis.
Designed by artist mentor Leah
Burns, and youth artists Katy
Mulla and Ellen Bleiwas, the
mural was inspired by stories told
to the artists by Scarborough
Storytellers - Bluffers Tales.
Working with themes of metamorphosis, transition and migration,
members of Bluffers Tales told a
series of stories to the mural
artists. These stories were translated into a beautiful design that
celebrates the experiences of community members who left their
homes to come to Canada. The
butterfly is a central figure to the
mural, a physical representation
on her arm. The picture was taken on their farm in
Poland, before the war. She said the butterfly landed on her arm just as the picture was taken. I kept
thinking about how much I would miss Babcia.
Babcia and Dzadio, Wujo Tolo, and Ciocia Cezia,
our uncle and aunt came to the airport to see us
off. Babcia and Dzadio brought gifts for everyone. Krys, my oldest sister, loved to read so she
received books. Dzadio had carved my brother
Richard a beautiful wood horse. You see, back in
Poland Dzadio had raised horses, and loved them
with all his heart. My little sister Dorothy was only
three and Babcia had made her a raggedy doll with
button eyes and embroidered mouth. Her name
was Lala. Babcia gave me something special
too. “Something to remember me by” Babcia said.
It was the picture of Babcia and the butterfly.
“Are you sure you want to give me the picture,
Babcia?” I asked sadly. Babcia just pressed the
picture into my hand and nodded. I put the
picture carefully into my little leather satchel.
We all hugged and kissed and cried, said our
goodbyes, hugged and kissed and cried some
more, and then it was time to board the big
jumbo jet. It was a bit scary, being on that big
jumbo jet, especially at take-off time. But the
stewardesses were all very nice. They showed us
the throw-up bags and to put our heads between
our legs if there was an emergency. They brought
us coloring books and crayons and these sugary
sweet little biscuits called cookies. We’d never had
cookies before. Mama bought us lunch; we had
sandwiches for the very first time. The bread tasted
a bit salty. We’d never had sandwiches like that
before. Then my brother had to go to the washroom. He thought the outer door was the bathroom
door and tried to open it. A stewardess quickly
of metamorphosis.
Located at 2446 Kingston Rd. in
Scarborough, the mural was painted over
the course of the summer. Mentor, Leah
Burns, led youth artists Ellen and Katy
through the entire process of creating
mural, starting with research, and culminating in a finished piece.
After completing Chrysalis, Ellen said,
“The concept of becoming an artist is
something that I’ve always been drawn to.
I have chosen, at least for now, to keep
this in my personal life while pursuing
other paths professionally. But the
opportunity to work on a mural, to be an
Artist as a form of employment, is something quite amazing to me. This summer’s
employment has left an impact on me,
saying ‘if you REALLY want to, you CAN
make a life for yourself as an artist’.”
Chrysalis is part of Mural Routes’ Urban
Trail. Visit the mural at 2446 Kingston Rd.
or online at www.muralroutes.com .
stopped him.
When we got to the Toronto airport, Tatus, our
father took us to our new home, on Labelle Street
in Orillia. We stayed in a government house. “It’s
just temporary”, said Tato, until we can afford to
buy our own house.
It was a long cold winter, that first winter in
Orillia. Mama sewed rabbit fur into the lining of
our Burberry, navy blue English coats to keep us
warm. The kids at school laughed and made fun of
our funny coats and they laughed and made fun
of our accent. And my 2nd grade teacher gave me
the strap for standing inside the door of the
school to keep warm. I didn’t like it in this cold,
unfriendly, new country and I missed Babcia. I
wished I was back in London England with her. I
would lie on my bed with my picture propped up
against my legs, and imagine that I was in Poland,
on the farm, in that wonderful field of wildflowers
and butterflies with Babcia. And even though the
picture was in sepia color, I imaged the colors of
the wildflowers and the hundreds of butterflies. I
daydreamed about their colors: orange and black,
blue, red, green, or maybe even rainbow colored.
I had a good imagination.
Finally spring arrived. Buds started appearing
everywhere. Beautiful apple and cherry trees in
full bloom lined the streets. We would go for long
walks in the country. Then one day we found a
field, full of wildflowers. It was just like the one in
my Babcia’s picture. And there, before my eyes, I
couldn’t believe it: hundreds of butterflies. “Look
at them all,” I cried. And then I whispered as if
Babcia could really here me “They’re here
Babcia. The butterflies are here too. And they like it
here in this new country.”
Fall/Winter 2004 OFF THE WALL
Mural celebrates diversity in
Toronto’s Hillcrest Village
By Brenda Sedgwick
A
vision to beautify Hillcrest Village
Business Improvement Area (BIA)
and mobilize an inclusive climate
for business, cultural and social diversity
inspired a partnership between Hillcrest
Village BIA and Skills for Change to paint
the Welcome to Hillcrest Village mural on a
wall donated by Skills for Change.
The partnership grew to include business, community, government and citizen
supporters contributing thought, laughter,
effort, materials or cash to the first mural
of our emerging gateway gallery community arts and youth employment initiative.
The initiative is part of the BIA’s overall
streetscaping, façade improvement and
social-economic development vision.
Under the direction of professional
muralists, William Lazos and Jim Bravo,
the painting was assisted by youth artists
Jay Cartasano and Rudolfo Chiguichon;
using a design created by Joel Castillo.
Additional mural artists include Emily
Colquhoun, Krystal Bujoldi, Donniel
Salas, Jessica Volte and Crystal Piche.
Vernon Mural Project from page 1
Hillcrest Village mural painting team in
October 2004: Rudy, Jay, Krista, Jim, Emily,
Bill, Donio and Krista.
Primary project sponsorship was from
Hillcrest Village property owner levy;
Skills for Change; Wood Green
Employment & Immigration Services;
City of Toronto Economic Development
Office; Toronto Parking Authority;
HRDC
Job
Creation
Program;
Thunderbird Consulting; Councilor Joe
Mihevc (Ward 21, St. Paul’s); Acappella
Clothing; Ferro Bar & Café; Dave’s
Gourmet Pizza; Eglinton Florist; Good
News Church; Northern Realty; Manuel
Bustamante Property Management;
Celebrational F.X. Inc.; Jamieson
Cleaners; and Maple Paints.
Come to Hillcrest Village, Toronto,
view the mural and visit the menagerie of
restaurants and specialty shops on St.
Clair Avenue West between Christie and
Winona. Drop by the BIA office at 747 St.
Clair Ave. W. to learn more about the
upcoming streetscaping and storefront
façade improvements in the area.
Brenda Sedgwick is the General Manager of the
Hillcrest Village Business Improvement Area.
Mural Production: A
Resource Handbook
will be available for
sale at the 8th
National Mural
Symposium and will
be sent out freeof-charge to all
new and current
Mural Routes
members. Look for it
for sale soon at www.muralroutes.com
“People are going to see the murals, but I am going to remember
what it took to make it.”~ Chris, Mural Project participant 2001
by a community, and to be
heard in the community development with the City Officials
and Board of the Downtown
Vernon Association. It was
through these partnerships
that
this
professionally
designed revitalization project
continues to enhance the city’s
welcoming
and
friendly
atmosphere. This interactive
approach to the mural project
Downtown Vernon’s mural of C.E. Perry, Chief Engineer of
allowed the general public to
the Shuswap & Okanagan Railway
be involved in bridging generational and social divides and
but the murals highlighted the need to
generating
a
sense of community through
improve the setting. During the experithe
arts.
The
murals have allowed the
ence the community has wholeheartedly
community
to
transform
their life stories
shown its support of this project through
into
dramatic
visual
presentations
that
donations in kind, donations, pictures,
explore
social
issues,
shed
light
on
neighstories, along with food and clothing for
the youth on the project. It was an incred- borhood history, and draw from their
ible experience to be so warmly embraced imagination answers to community issues
and conflicts. Art for the people, a door to
communicating.
The impacts of the project are multilayered. The process provides structure by
creative activities within a familiar setting:
one's own community. The process allows
participants to develop artistic abilities,
learn about history, articulate ideas, work
in groups, develop an idea into a cohesive
visual message, and bring their voices and
vision to their own streets. In addition, the
project's “product”–the mural itself–becomes a trophy of a polished and
concrete achievement. The project also
impacts the greater community: parents,
friends, neighbors and local businesses
take pride in a project well done, make
contributions and engage in discussion
about the work.
Michelle Loughery is the Project Manager
Creator/Lead Artist of the Downtown Vernon
Mural Project
7
OFF THE WALL Fall/Winter 2004
National Mural Symposium
brings trompe l’oeil master to Toronto
Mural Routes invites you to Toronto to attend
the 8th National Mural Symposium in Canada.
With a mandate to “teach, learn and share
valuable insight in mural art” the annual symposium is the place to network, share knowledge, ask
questions, discuss relevant issues and learn about
new ventures in outdoor mural projects.
To launch the event, the Symposium is pleased
to welcome John Pugh, master of architectural
trompe l’oeil, from Los Gatos, CA for an exciting
slide presentation on Friday,
November 12. Pugh paints
trompe l’oeil murals and has the
ability to effectively integrate
them into specific environments. Using the “language” of
life-size illusions allows him to
communicate with a very large
audience. He’s worked on an
array of national public art
projects–completing over 200
murals, and has received international attention for his work.
On Saturday November 13,
the National Mural Symposium
presents Keynote Speaker Rina
Greer, a public art consultant for
more than 25 years, specializing in integrated art
and architecture projects. She is also the Director of
the Toronto Sculpture Garden, a position she has
held since it opened in 1981.
From 1994-2002, she was the art consultant for
the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). She
developed an integrated art program for the five
new stations on the Sheppard Subway Line that
opened in November 2002. She also created the
public art program for 22 artworks along Spadina
Avenue for the Spadina LRT (1997).
Greer is currently working both as art consultant
and as a member of the design team for the redesign
of the public courtyards and perimeter streets of the
Richmond Adelaide Centre and she is the art consultant member of the HTO team that will design
two parks for the Toronto waterfront.
The main venue for the Symposium is the
Comfort Suites City Centre Toronto, 200 Dundas
Street East. A tour of some of Toronto’s many
murals will take place on Saturday. On Sunday,
the wrap-up session takes place at Todmorden
Mills Heritage Museum and Arts Centre on
Pottery Road. To register, or for more information
call Mural Routes at 416-698-7995, email:
info@muralroutes.com or visit the website at
www.muralroutes.com.
The Dirt on Bishop by John Pugh, 10’ x 10’, for Art in Public Places, Bishop Mural Society, Bishop
CA. Inscribed with a land title, the wall-tablet unwraps from the curved packed soil like the peel
of an orange. This layered core sample of Bishop earth represents a sedimentary survey of the
town’s heritage. Inset shows detail of dog. Photo: Courtesy John Pugh.
Become a member
of Mural Routes!
COST
You can support the goals of Mural Routes with your membership. Members will receive mailing
of all newsletters, and communication about future symposia, think tanks and discounts on
registration fees. Member artists will have their contact information posted on the Web site.
Individuals $25
Charitable /Non-profit organizations $50
Corporate membership $150
MURAL ROUTES MEMBERSHIP FORM
Mural Routes secure online membership form is now
available. Please visit www.muralroutes.com
If paying by cheque, please make payable to Mural Routes Inc. and mail to:
Mural Routes Inc., 1859 Kingston Road, Scarborough, Ontario, M1N 1T3
tel: 416-698-7995
Name _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address _________________________________________________________________________________Are you a Mural Artist? ________
City/Prov/Postal Code____________________________________________________________________Tel____________________________
E-Mail_____________________________________________________________Web_________________________________________________
Membership category (check one)
o Individual
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Amount $__________________________ Cheque / Visa / MasterCard (circle one)
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