Campbell River will be one of 150 communities from across the country participating in a nation-wide mural celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday.
Campbell Riverites will have the chance to design individual tiles that will make up one section of the overall mural aimed at connecting the nation through art.
The Canada 150 Mosaic Mural Project is designed to bring together professional artists, local historians, creative thinkers, and Canadians of all ages with a unified art theme (the railroad that connects our three coasts).
“Each of these sections will stand alone as a mural for that particular community,” according to a Canada 150 Mural Mosaic report. “However, each of these sections of the mural will become one of the many storybook pages within the overall mural to form the ultimate visual time capsule and create a legacy for a proud nation.”
The project began March 6, 2015 in St. Albert and has been moving across Canada.
In Campbell River, the city’s recreation and culture team will be spearheading the project and is encouraging residents of all ages and artistic ability to participate in a lasting community art piece.
“The first step for Campbell River is to choose an image that captures the spirit of our community, so we are asking for public input into what our mural will look like,” said Michele Sirett, the city’s recreation and culture supervisor. “The city’s public art committee will choose the image based on public feedback, then we’ll work with the Canada 150 Mosaic team to guide us through bringing the project to life.”
Campbell River’s mural will be composed of 400 tiles that will be painted by local community organizations over the coming months. Opportunities for residents to paint a tile will be announced by the city later in the summer.
Campbell River signed on to the mosaic project last year, and council chose to spend $10,000 from its Parks Parcel Tax fund to finance the city’s participation.
The Canada 150 Mosaic project is open to residents of all ages. A Canada 150 team will come to Campbell River for a one day painting party where participants will paint a 4 x 4 inch tile. Once all the tiles are painted and made in to one large community mural, it will be virtually connected to other communities’ masterpieces, creating a single 1,200 foot long national mural, connecting the country from coast to coast.
Each community will get to keep its piece of the mural as a lasting legacy landmark of Canada’s 150 year celebration.
For ideas and inspiration and to learn more about the Canada 150 Mosaic Mural project, visit www.canada150mosaic.com
To provide suggestions of images you would like to see, email: Canada150@campbellriver.ca on or before Monday, May 30 at 11:59 p.m.