B.C. Culture Days ambassador Annabelle Bail recently brought the Nanaimo community together for a special mural project. The event, called Community Mural: Celebrating Culture and Diversity Through Art, invited people from all backgrounds to help create murals that celebrate the beauty and strength of diverse voices and perspectives. With themes like home, safety, and joy, participants contributed to large canvases using paint and mixed media.
The event took place on Sunday, September 22, at the Nanaimo Art Gallery from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents gathered to paint and connect with others, getting the chance to explore their creativity through sketching, acrylic painting, and collage using materials from old magazines. Each participant was given 20 minutes to add their personal touch to one of the two large canvases, working with a carefully selected palette of colours. They were free to choose any style they liked, from abstract to expressionism, line work to realism, leaving their mark on the shared artwork.
This mural project allowed people to collaborate and explore what joy, happiness, and safety mean to them through symbols, patterns, and colours. Once completed, the two murals will be displayed in a public space in Nanaimo for everyone to enjoy, becoming a lasting part of the community’s history. Afterward, the murals will be moved to the Nanaimo Harbourfront location of the Vancouver Island Regional Library, where they will be on display until January.
Annabelle Bail, a mixed-media, multidisciplinary artist from Nanaimo, uses her art to express herself and reconnect with nature. She shared that the idea for the community mural project came from her previous experience at the Commercial Street Night Market.
“I think that’s what’s going to be the power of this community mural, is that you don’t need any background to do it,” Bail said. “You just want to come here, have fun, tell a little bit about yourself, tell a story through the art, and then see a connection with all the different people that are coming together and doing it together.”
As part of BC Culture Days, this project provided a space for people to celebrate their unique perspectives by working together on a shared art piece. Bail added that her role as a B.C. Culture Days ambassador has helped her connect with people in the area, and she hopes the mural project will spark curiosity and excitement in the community.
“Fostering a sense of belonging through the lens of inclusion is necessary to build a strong and caring community, and joining voices while sharing personal stories through our diverse cultures and backgrounds can only create a positive impact on this Island we call home,” said Bail.
For more information regarding similar events, visit http://culturedays.ca.
Source: CHLY
