Second bridge arch mural revealed
The second mural beneath the Hunter Street Bridge is done.
Edmonton artist Jill Stanton spent the last three weeks painting a botanical design on the underside of one of the archways.
The public was invited to come see the completed mural on Thursday evening. It features bloodroot, a local plant that grows in Peterborough’s rural areas.
Stanton had help from an assistant, local artist Andrew Ihamaki.
She said they spent roughly 275 hours on the painting in just three weeks.
A typical workday started at 8:30 a.m. and finished at 11:30 p.m., with lights blazing so Stanton could keep working after dark.
But it was all worth it, she said – she was happy with the final piece. “I’m quite pleased,” she said. This is the second mural beneath the bridge. The first one was done last year by Toronto artist Kirsten McCrea.
The idea is to continue painting the arches until all five are covered in works of art. City staff came up with the idea as a way to defer graffiti artists.
Stanton was chosen from among 36 artists from Peterborough and across Canada who submitted designs. The city of Peterborough funds the $30,000 project. Artspace, a local artist-run gallery, co-ordinates it for the city.
Jon Lockyer, the director at Artspace, said a little more than half the money goes to the artist for fees and also to cover expenses such as materials, travel and accommodation. The rest of the budget covers administrative costs.
At the unveiling Thursday night, Lockyer said the new mural is beautiful.
“It exceeds all expectations, I think,” he said.
There’s also a new downtown mural project that’s about to begin.
The city and the DBIA asked for submissions from Peterborougharea artists to create a mural for a pre-selected building.
The east-facing wall of the paralegal building H.E.L.P., at Queen and Simcoe streets, will have the first of what’s expected to be several new murals downtown.
Local artist Alex Bierk was selected to do the work. His mural will be a large-scale photograph of a single cloud.
The photo will be printed on a type of opaque vinyl that adheres to rough surfaces such as concrete.
That mural is expected to be unveiled on Sept. 23, as part of the city’s arts festival called Artsweek.