New mural looks to revitalize downtown, improve community safety

“It’s really exciting. It’s cool to see a project that was just an idea come to fruition, and now it’s real life and it’s here. So that’s the most exciting part, and seeing that it’s bringing a lot of people, people are stopping and taking a look and questioning it and enjoying it. So the mural is already doing what we want it to do,” said the Arts’ Centre’s Manager Sara Jones.

“I want to make this city as beautiful as it is, around this time with the amazing nature. So I’m really excited about this project,” added Fernanda Salla, one of the mural painters.

The idea for the mural is about more than just bringing vibrancy to the downtown, it’s about downtown revitalization and trying to make the streets safer. Salla explained she was inspired by her home city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and an alleyway known as “Beco de Batman.” This alleyway was nothing special, but artists transformed it into one of the city’s top tourists spots by covering it with murals and street art.

“It’s a place that used to have no vibrance, no life. And a lot of artists they, went there and painted the murals, and now it’s a vibrant place. A lot of artists go there, a lot of people go there to take pictures and selfies, and it’s a terrific place over there,” Salla said.

“Downtown definitely faces its challenges. But with art and the ability to create art, it’s nice to be able to bring a different perspective to the downtown area, change the landscape a little bit with art, and really just bring new vibrant perspectives to the downtown area,” Jones added.

The mural itself consists of two distinct sections, one by Salla and the other by fellow artist Jennifer Pighin. Pighin’s side represents the deep Indigenous roots found in our community.

Pighin’s side of the mural, before it transitions into the rainbow and bear.

“I am following traditional basket patterns, so they would have been from the local region inscribed on the birch bark on the outside of the baskets. One of the other designs is a circle design that represents the cycles of life, the seasonal rounds, as well as patterns that are visible on some of the traditional tools that are carved into bones. I wanted to think about historical art forms in the region and representing the local history,” Pighin said.

As for Salla’s side, it features a rainbow, which brings not just a pop of colour, but also celebrates our community’s diversity. The rainbow leads into a big bear, and Salla explained when she first moved to Prince George nine years ago she fell in love with the bears here, so she wanted that to represent our community.

“We don’t have bears in Brazil, so for me, it’s something new. I wanted to bring a kind of fun that represents music and art. So my bear is a kind of hip hop and rap bear, but he carries a brush that’s showing that he wants to bring colours and paint the town,” she said.

Salla’s side of the mural.

Despite the contrast between the two, the entire mural comes together to create one cohesive and engaging piece of art.

“It is very important for us to also recognize the diverse community that we serve, and it kind of all flows together. That was the goal as we developed the mural,” Pighin said.

While this mural is expected to be 100% in a matter of weeks, the entire team hopes there are more projects like this to come in the future.

“We want to make these amazing things around town. I’m sure a lot of people want to do that, want more vibrancy here in Prince George,” Salla said.

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by Tommy Osborne

New mural looks to revitalize downtown, improve community safety

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