Islanders contribute to a mural mosaic marking Canada's 150th
Prince Edward Islanders have been painting tiles this week to help create a Charlottetown-themed mural mosaic to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary, as part of a nation-wide project.
The City of Charlottetown partnered with Mural Mosaic, a team of artists from Alberta, to hold painting sessions for members of the public who want to contribute.
"I'm having people paint whatever they love about their community and Canada, so we want them to celebrate it." said lead artist and designer Lewis Lavoie.
The Mural Mosaic group of artists have set out to create 150 murals representing 150 communities across the country for Canada 150.
One piece of a larger project
"In all the pieces that I do, it's always about connecting people together, finding a common thread and celebrating everybody's diversity," explained Lavoie.
Every community's mural shows a scene on a train car. The idea is that all of the train cars will be assembled together online connecting the communities together from coast to coast. The physical murals themselves will live in the place where they were created.
The Charlottetown mural mosaic depicts Sir John A. Macdonald with a lighthouse on one side of him and Province House on the other.
"As a designer, I'm looking at this as one piece of art. So, here in Charlottetown, this is one section of the one big piece of art," said Lavoie.
Celebrating Canada
Painting sessions have been taking place at the West Royalty Community Centre in Charlottetown this week from Tuesday to Thursday.
"You don't have to be a great artist," Lavoie told a group of painters at a session Wednesday evening.
"You just have to be willing to leave your mark in this enormous mural."
Lavoie said he encourages participants to paint whatever they want on their tiles.
Linda MacLellan, one of the painters at the Thursday session, said she's excited to be able to contribute to a project that celebrates Canada: "It's always important just to participate in things that really mean something to you."
'It's been an honour and it's been a lot of fun'
Lavoie said he hopes that participants enjoy the painting aspect of the experience and that it would also be a learning experience.
"We're kind of hoping to have this educational element where people can learn about Canada and learn about the diversity here," he said.
Lavoie and his partners knew early on that Charlottetown was going to be on the list of places that would be a part of the project, and they especially hoped to make it to town in time for July 1.
"I feel completely thrilled and kind of honoured to be here, to have gone this far, and to have created this many murals and to see this much of Canada," he said.
"It's been an honour and it's been a lot of fun."
Mural to be unveiled on Canada Day
There is another mural for the project being created on the Island this week in Stratford with its own theme.
At this point, 60 of the 150 murals have been created so far. Lavoie said the project will likely continue for another year before it's fully completed.
Canadian celebrities like Rick Mercer, Jann Arden and Sarah McLachlan have also contributed tiles to the project nationally.
The Charlottetown mural will be unveiled on Canada Day at Victoria Park, and will thereafter permanently reside at city hall.
All of the completed murals can be found on the Canada 150 Mosaic website.
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