Two project proposals recently brought to Revelstoke's public art committee are promising to lighten the mood in new nooks and crannies that could use a bit of colour in the city.
The first proposal, delivered by Arts Revelstoke to the committee on Monday, June 23, pitches a permanent art installation for the alley behind Cantina Del Centro, as part of the organization's Art Allery program.
Three eight-by-eight-foot mural-style panels would be fixed to the white-concrete wall, with imagery painted on and mirrored sculpture forms mounted to the surface. The background concrete would additionally be painted a solid colour to frame and bring out the panels, creating a 3D effect.
The chosen location behind Cantina Del Centro would ensure the murals are highly visible to passersby and don't obstruct room for municipal dumpsters. Lighting, to be installed by Revelstoke Electric, would keep the panels glowing at night, on a timer system running dusk to dawn.
Selected to design the murals is interdisciplinary artist Taryn Walker, who is of Nlaka鈥檖amux, Syilx and European descent and specializes in a mix of drawing, animation, and installation driven by ancestral connection, cultural reclamation and futurism. According to Walker's website, "their work explores themes of futurity, spiralling time, utopia, tenderness, playfulness, healing, and cycles of life and death."
Walker would collaborate on the installation with their father.
鈥淥ur design will be focusing on the theme of intergenerational healing and moving forward into the future," Walker says in the proposal report.
Previous mural installations Walker has contributed to the city include Mountain Caribou 3023 for Revelstoke Mountain Resort as part of the Revelstoke Outdoor Art Movement in 2023, and Breath Between Branches for LUNA Fest in 2018.
With funding already secured through grants, $15,500 has been budgeted by Arts Revelstoke for the proposal to finance materials, panels, electrical and Walker's labour for what would be Revelstoke's newest Art Allery addition.
Arts Revelstoke is looking at an installation timeline between August and September, with Walker looking at completion by Sept. 30 in time for Truth and Reconciliation Day.
As well, Revelstoke Museum and Archives has pitched a 12-metre-long mural for the building's Heritage Garden. It would wrap around from the back steps, all the way to the memorial bench, covering up a stretch of bland grey concrete with painted-on flowers that spring out at viewers.
"The concrete area in this location does not reflect the beauty of the garden, and this mural will improve the overall aesthetics of the space while also showcasing local art and native wildlife," the museum writes in its proposal, adding the mural will resonate with the "Native Plants" art panel above the memorial bench.
The museum is offering to take on maintenance of the mural, such as reapplying sealant every two to five years and performing checks every spring and fall, and has budgeted for this through its equipment replacement fund.
To design the art piece, the museum has selected local painter and muralist Antonia Otoya, whose large murals have been featured at galleries, street art festivals and fairs since 2013. Otoya's portfolio includes her Aca y Alla installation for last year's LUNA Fest outside River City Pub & Patio, which explored the contrasts of flora and fauna in her native home of Cali, Colombia.
The cost for the mural, as quoted by Otoya, is $3,050, covering materials such as primer and UV-resistant paints that will ensure the installation continues to bloom against the elements.
"If the mural is applied directly onto the concrete, Antonia will be able to adequately prepare the surface to prevent flaking," the museum explains. "In addition, she will be able to properly seal the mural after its completion, further preserving it. Concrete is less porous than plywood, and if adequately prepared results in a longer-lasting mural."
Learn more about Revelstoke's Art Alleries at .
