How Murals And Community Art Projects Can Help Princeton

​Have you seen the mural that was unveiled earlier this month? It’s hard to miss if you are driving down Bridge Street towards the brown bridge. The newest oversized piece of art is proudly displayed on the outside wall of Home Hardware facing the back of the library building. It’s a nice piece of work and it got me thinking.
 
It has been about twenty-five years since I have been on Vancouver Island. One quick trip through Chemainus has remained with me as I recall seeing some of the famous murals on the sides of buildings there. In recent years I have stumbled upon larger-than-life art in Merritt, Vernon, Hope and Cranbrook. It is rather common.
 
If you take a closer look at the buildings in and around Princeton you will see what I am talking about when I say we are already onto something here. The fire hall, Legion, USIB Forestry Field Office and even Riverside Centre have giant murals on them. The one at Riverside Centre was more of a collaborative effort of many locals.
 
There is a lot of art around us already because Princeton has – for some reason – attracted a lot of artistically talented people. I think of the water fountain in Veterans Square and even the graffiti that covers the skateboard park next to the arena as all being examples of the expressive nature of the artists in and around our community.
 
So What Is My Point?
 
I think there should be more murals and giant art displays. I really do. Small towns in particular benefit greatly with these kinds of projects. I’m not just talking about tourism, although that is the part that generally feeds the local economy. Here are a few of the benefits that art projects can bring to a community that embraces them:
 
1 – Promotes Public Space Interaction
 
Veterans Square is a perfect example of how the “art of design” has created an attractive meeting place in the centre of town. The gazebo hosts many live performances and the overall artistic elements of that and the water fountain that people can sit near or around provides direct interaction with friends, neighbours and strangers all meeting in the same place. Imagine if all of the parks in the community were designed with interactive art pieces?
 
I’m thinking specifically of the proposed barbeque/warming hut idea to replace the Bugnut building on Vermilion Avenue at Veterans Square. How inviting would each of the parks in Princeton be if a winter shelter frame and a heat source were available for use in the neighbourhoods with each park? This could encourage block parties where newcomers and long-term residents could interact and use the space for their own celebrations and gatherings.
 
2 – Get Local Youth Involved
 
I mentioned the artwork at the skateboard park. I strongly feel that the youth of the community are not being reached or included enough. I know that many young people participated in the mural project at the USIB Forestry Field Office near Memorial Park. I still feel that there has to be more opportunity for their voices to be heard.
 
Art and music are languages that cross several man-made barriers related to demographic and culture. I would support the establishment of some public place locations (sides of buildings) downtown where local youth could express themselves artistically. I’ve seen it done and it can truly be amazing and productive on many different levels.
 
3 – The Power Of Preservation
 
Art projects of any kind have an interesting extra feature to them. They tend to secretly possess the power of preservation. What I mean by that is demonstrated in more than one existing example. The mural on the front of the Princeton Legion is of Susan Louisa Moir Allison. The mural on the USIB Forestry Field Office building tells of events in First Nations history in the region. Both of these pieces of public art are preserving some of the history of the area. As a result, both are also keeping that history alive. The importance of knowing our past is significant and public art projects are a great way of preserving and sharing history with others.
 
4 – It Gets People Involved
 
The ceramic ‘tile mural’ outside of Riverside Centre is an example of how community art projects, like murals, can get others involved. The projects can be different to the one at Riverside Centre, but when public involvement is one of the key elements to an art display, it draws people into the fold. Often it includes people who may not otherwise participate in public events or activities. This adds to the character of the community when the project involves a wider spectrum of residents representing demographics that would otherwise not participate. Any public project that includes residents will foster goodwill and cooperation which work together to build a stronger community.
 
The Bottom Line
 
Ultimately I would love to see each and every public building either covered in larger wall murals or with a giant piece of public art on their property. When we all work together to beautify our community – in whatever format that happens to be – we take greater pride in where we live. We start to support each other more, including local businesses. Plus, with the added feature of many more displays of public art – in addition to the ones we already have – our community becomes a tourist destination.
 
The murals, art walks and open community public spaces become selling features to attract more than just tourists. It becomes a marketing tool to attract new residents and some new businesses. If I am elected to Princeton Town Council in October, I will encourage working with the Princeton Arts Council and all other local arts and culture groups to create projects to beautify our community for our enjoyment and the enjoyment of others visiting our part of the Similkameen Valley. Community-based art projects help build better communities.