The Mount Pleasant neighbourhood is about to get even cooler with the installation of more than 35 permanent murals as part of the first Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF). On Saturday, Aug. 20 all of the murals will be unveiled in conjunction with a series of celebratory events including a street festival, public markets, musical performances and BBQ cook-off fundraisers. If you want to extend your festivities into the evening, check out one of the musical performances as part of the VMF Underplay Music Series.
Inspired by other Canadian cities like Montreal that have hosted similar mural festivals where the community commissions artists to enliven public spaces, the City of Vancouver, Create Vancouver Society, the Burrard Arts Foundation and the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Area collaborated with more than 40 artists from Canada and around the world to bolster the city’s public art.
Street art is often a cat and mouse game between artists and the city and it’s not uncommon for their work to be washed away overnight. At the heart of street art, graffiti and tagging are creative ways to utter something out into the public void; to leave an anonymous person’s mark behind in a city where nothing seems to linger for long.
An unexpected interaction with text or an image can spark all kinds of interesting responses in passersby. You can’t help but smile, cringe or laugh when you see a work by local artist iHEART, whose work can pop up anywhere in the city. A permanent mural by the artist will be featured in the festival.
The exciting new initiative by the city and local partners hopes to provide artists and the community with more opportunities to create and encounter art outside of galleries and transform how we think about visual culture in urban environments. —Laura Busby
Vancouver Mural Festival will take place on Saturday, Aug. 20 from 12pm to 6pm.
There will be street closures for the event along Main Street between 7th Ave and 12th Ave.
Admission is free. www.vancouvermuralfestival.com
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