If you see a giant kraken attacking a ship on Third Ave., do not be alarmed.
Prince Rupert’s downtown core got a mini-makeover Friday, June 28, after the Argosy unveiled their new mural painted by local artists under the guidance of experts from Vancouver.
| Local artists, under the guidance or Eric Edenshaw and a Vancouver-based group known as Nomadic Alternatives, worked together to paint a mural for the Argosy, on Third Ave. (Jenna Cocullo / The Northern View) |
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The Paint the Town mural program was initiated by Transition Prince Rupert in partnership with Ecotrust Canada and Redesign Rupert to spruce up the city’s aesthetics and build local capacity.
“We liked the idea of building capacity in the community for art and making public spaces more exciting,” said Veronika Stewart, president of Transition Prince Rupert, a community group that aims to create a sustainable city.
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Derek Edenshaw, a Haida and Cree multi-media artist, as well as artists from a Vancouver-based group called Nomadic Alternatives travelled to Prince Rupert to pass on their artistic wisdom to eight local artists in hopes of creating momentum in the city so more projects like Paint the Town can continue.
| Derek Edenshaw, Haida/Cree multi-media artist, came up from Vancouver to pass his wisdom on to local Prince Rupert artists. (Jenna Cocullo / The Northern View) |
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“We are really happy with the success of the project and we have four more planned. We hope to make it a recurring event,” said Stewart.
Transition Prince Rupert is looking to partner with School District 52 to put up some murals on their schools and has two requests for proposals for the Nisga’a Hall and Lax Kw’alaams building. They will also be partnering with the sea cadets to beautify Rushbrook Trail’s cement blocks by using maritime flags to spell something out.
| (Jenna Cocullo / The Northern View)) |
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“It really was a team effort in terms of both volunteers locally in the community and sponsorships,” said Stewart.
Pembina, Prince Rupert Community Arts Council, Tourism Prince Rupert, Prince Rupert Grain, Raymont Logistics, Northern Savings Credit Union, Tall Trees Bed and Breakfast, Coast Mountain College, Sherwin Williams, and the Argosy were all sponsors of the project.
Transition Prince Rupert also initiated Sustainability Month in April where they hosted a plant and flower flash market with Sunken Garden and a documentary night screening movies that examine society’s addiction to plastic.
| Local artists, under the guidance or Eric Edenshaw and a Vancouver-based group known as Nomadic Alternatives, worked together to paint murals for the city and build artistic capacity. (Jenna Cocullo / The Northern View)) |
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“We’ve been pretty active this spring and keep looking to push initiatives forward. It’s about making the community more resilient and sustainable,” said Stewart.
If any members of the community are looking to get involved or want to learn more, Stewart said they can check out Transition’s website or attend their annual meeting in the fall.
Jenna Cocullo | Journalist
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