Mural project by Calgary artist shot down by Vernon city council, some locals
CBC
A Calgary artist's mural series exploring living with mental health challenges will not be installed in a northern Okanagan city despite initial support by city council, after some locals deemed the work unwelcome.
Last year, artist Katie Green — who previously installed murals in Calgary's East Village featuring city residents wearing masks — was approached by the Vernon Public Art Gallery to create something similar for the city.
Green, who uses masks in much of her work, partnered with local people from Vernon who have lived experiences with mental health challenges. They worked together to co-create the images for the murals.
"Masks are a really incredible tool to explore the self," Green previously told CBC News about her work.
The result of this new project was Behind the Mask, a series of 10 images featuring people Green connected with through the Turning Points Collaborative Society in Vernon wearing masks they selected, and helped make out of paper mâché.
For the project, the art gallery secured more than $72,500 in grants to facilitate the creation of the masks, hold an exhibition and eventually turn the art into murals across the municipality across 10 locations.
Initially, Vernon city council pledged $33,000 in funding for the project, and several municipally owned locations across the city for the art to be displayed.
However, this past week council pulled the plug on their support after weighing public feedback they received on the art.
For some, like those who signed the online petition entitled "Say no to Vernon 'scary' new murals," the Behind the Mask series made signatories "uncomfortable." Other comments called the images "creepy."
That petition garnered over 4,100 signatories. A counter-petition supporting the murals has more than 1,700 signatures.
Green says she's unsurprised her works elicit different reactions. She thinks art plays an important role in making us curious about ourselves, and how we react to what we're seeing.
"Get curious about things like, 'What about this is eliciting this reaction inside me, and what does that mean for me?'" she said.
Sarah Lillemo is the harm reduction coordinator with the Cammy LaFleur Street Clinic who helped select the participants with the Behind the Mask series.
She said after seeing them create and connect with their images, it's saddening to see the murals halted.
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