Three local youths paint their love for Canada in a mural
Three Calgary youths have combined their talents to paint a mural for 150+ Reasons We Love Canada, a national project with the goal of creating 60 original murals.
After being completed in April, these hand-painted murals are to be displayed in more than 20 Toronto subway stations between July and August. Digital copies will also be shown in airports, shopping malls and skylines across the country.
“Artists from every province in Canada are submitting their artwork,” said Kate Hawksworth, the program lead for Youth Health Services at the Alex.
The Alex Youth Health Centre is one of 30 community organizations across Canada that VIBE Arts has partnered with to execute this project.
The Alex provides health, housing and food programs for Calgary's most vulnerable citizens, with the Alex Youth Health Centre specifically devoted to supporting youths through its programs.
“Our program co- ordinator researched nationwide, in each province and territory,” said Deneille Balkissoon, the marketing and public relations manager for VIBE Arts.
“We have chosen to partner with organizations that are actively working with children and youth and will act as welcoming hubs for connection and creativity.”
VIBE Arts is a charitable-arts organization that engages youths from under-resourced neighbourhoods through arts education. The mural project was originally conceived as a way to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday and give youths a chance to show what Canada means to them.
“It's kind of a healthy way to tackle some issues,” Hawksworth said.
Each mural is going to be four by six feet (1.2 by 1.8 metres), made with the same art materials such as acrylic paint and connected to a theme that reflects its particular region. The mural at the Alex Youth Centre, for example, will be of the Calgary skyline with a grain elevator in the foreground.
Hawksworth was responsible for overseeing the project at the Alex and recruiting candidates to paint the mural.
“There were a lot of takers,” she said.
Hawksworth eventually narrowed down her picks to Braden Stewart, Rory Sandl and Tyler Thompson, who are all self-taught artists. She supervised and guided the process, but it was ultimately them who put the brush to the canvas.
“It is a wonderful example of youth collaborating and creating an original piece that reflects what is meaningful to them about the region of Alberta,” Balkissoon said.
Hawksworth also took the time to record the process for VIBE Arts through emailing photos, calling to give updates and sharing on social media.
“We would have enjoyed the opportunity to visit each of these unique programs nationwide in person,” Balkissoon said. “However, while that was not possible, we were able to watch each mural come to life as the venues and facilitators took the time to document the process and share the development with us.”
The plus sign in “150+ Reasons We Love Canada” refers to Canadians having more than “150 reasons” why they love Canada and also to acknowledge that indigenous peoples are the original occupants of the nation.
“This has been an amazing experience, as youth across the country have had the opportunity to participate in this creative process,” Balkissoon said.
“It's about capturing the stories — artfully — of what makes our country great and allowing our young people to be the visual storytellers.”