By Jamila PomeroyPublic art humanizes urban landscapes, transforming otherwise sterile spaces into places for conversation and community. Cities gain economic value from public art, but its importance is so much more than financial. Public art is fun and invigorating; it reflects and reveals our society and cultural makeup; and it’s an opportunity to champion and employ local
Black Strathcona resurgence part of Vancouver Mural Festival vancouversun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vancouversun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The initiative of 60 murals was dubbed #MakeArtWhileApart and led by the Vancouver Mural Festival. The colourful painted murals helped spark joy and inspire hope for those who happened to walk by the works of art however, many of them disappeared as businesses began to re-open months later.
Now, with the renewed support from bodies like the City of Vancouver, Downtown Vancouver BIA and Robson BIA, and South Granville BIA, the city can expect to see more art embodying messages of hope and positivity.
“As we’ve seen during COVID-19 with storefront hoarding murals, construction hoarding offers a potential new ‘canvas’ for the city’s artists and arts and culture organizations to bring to life in terms of fostering a quality public realm that contributes to engaging, active cultural experiences in our urban spaces,” the city of Vancouver said on March 31, approving a motion that could require murals and public art on construction boarding.
A cultural renaissance is blooming in Canada, led by Black and Indigenous artists
Laila El Mugammar: At its centre is public art, literature and more. The Canada emerging is one where I am visible. By Laila El Mugammar
December 15, 2020 Joseph in front of his mural, Hope Through Ashes: A Requiem for Hogan’s Alley (Rochelle Leung)
Laila El Mugammar is a Sudanese-Canadian writer and student. Her academic and creative work maps the historic Black presence in Canada.
On Gaukel Street in Kitchener, Ont., perpendicular to city hall, a black bear greets pedestrians with watery and speculative eyes.
Makade Makwa. Near her, a frog crouches, its back glimmering and pale in the sunlight.