'This needed to be done': Community art project begins in Albert Street bridge tunnel
Ten artists have been selected and are beginning their murals in the tunnel under Albert Street after several months of project planning.
The Cathedral Village Arts Festival was the organization chosen by the City of Regina to plan the murals after local musician Jeffrey Straker brought the idea to the city.
Brooklyn Wingert, the mural organizer with the Cathedral Village Arts Festival, said 31 artists applied to the call out.
“We looked for specifically local artists…and we wanted a combination of emerging and established artists,” Wingert said. “We had a huge array of different types of artists, different methods, different experiences levels, different backgrounds, so it was fantastic to see the outreach from the artists.
There are three themes that artists can work with this year – a free theme, a theme of land recognition acknowledging the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations and pearl, which is the same theme as the Cathedral Village Arts Festival’s 30th anniversary.
The entire tunnel won’t be completed this year. Wingert said it’s a legacy project and work will continue each summer. A total of 10 murals will be painted this year – one at each tunnel entrance and eight inside the tunnel.
“It’s meant to be on a two to three year rotational basis, always evolving and changing up the murals making us a destination for Regina, but also using it as graffiti prevention,” Wingert said.
Artists taking part said it’s a unique opportunity to show their varying skills off to the city.
“I’ve never done larger scale work and I really like the history of Wascana Lake, it really intrigued me,” artist Geanna Dunbar said.
Dunbar’s art work reflects some of the Indigenous and animal history of the nearby lake.
Geanna Dunbar has spent approximately 80 hours on the mural so far and still has more work to do. (Stefanie Davis/CTV News)
Geanna Dunbar has spent approximately 80 hours on the mural so far and still has more work to do. (Stefanie Davis/CTV News)
“Seeing the people who come through – it’s schools, families, seniors, it’s a lot of people in the neighbourhood and all have been saying the same thing. They’ve been waiting for this. They constantly take this tunnel,” Dunbar said. “I saw the graffiti, the hurtful and gross things that were in here. This needed to be done.”
Dunbar said there should be more opportunities like in the city for self-taught artists.
“It’s nice to have the city band together and create jobs during this time for self-taught artists,” she said. “It’s really hard for us to get into galleries and stuff if you don’t have a formal education.”
Because the alley is known for frequent graffiti tagging, the organizers have put some money aside for repainting if it’s necessary. Artists are hoping their work won’t be tagged.
“There’s nothing you can do to fully prevent that,” artist Erikka Patmore said. “Of course I’ll be bummed if it gets tagged over but I’m happy to layer over and keep it going. I think with the more art there will be, the less encouraging it will be to vandalize.”
Patmore’s design plays into the festival’s anniversary theme. She’s painting three Cathedral neighbourhood businesses: Aware House Books, The Paper Umbrella and Cuppa’T Specialty Fine Teas.
“I live right by there and I frequent that every day, so I just wanted to bring myself into to work somehow,” Patmore said.
The artists will be working on their murals in the coming weeks. Three spots will be staying open in the tunnel so more artists will be able to take part next year. The Cathedral Village Arts Festival said another call out for artists will be made around March.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.