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Three murals approved for Cloverdale

Artist plans to start painting first mural by mid-September
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Three proposed murals for Cloverdale buildings have been approved by City Hall. Mural one, called “Cloverdale,” would be painted behind the CUPE 402 office. (Image via City of Surrey corporate report)

Three new murals are coming to Cloverdale.

City council gave the “Cloverdale Mural Project” the green light at a recent council meeting, according to Oliver Lum, media relations for the City of Surrey.

Maria Koehn, project coordinator for CMP, said she was delighted to hear her group got the go ahead.

“We’re excited to get started,” said Koehn. “We want to create excitement for the community, to bring people here.”

She said she was overwhelmed by the positive responses the project has received from many merchants and building owners.

Koehn added she’s also thankful for the support from City Hall, especially from David Sadler, the city’s community enhancement planner.

“David hasn’t facilitated a lot of community murals. This is somewhat new. So he’s excited to support us.”

Koehn said Sadler was also grateful for the volunteers on the mural project. She said he expressed his thanks and recognized all the volunteer hours many people put in for the betterment of their city.

“He tried hard to make this happen because he’s seen the work we’ve put in.” Koehn estimates her core group of volunteers has logged hundreds of hours for the mural project.

The project will see three murals painted in the downtown core, one behind the CUPE offices at 5699 176th Street, one behind the Dale building, and one behind Mates uniforms at 5696 176th Street.

Mural one, called “Cloverdale,” will be painted by artist July Pohl on the CUPE building. It will have a rural theme, with a chalk-style outlined drawing of a horse, barn, and field behind colourful pink flowers.

SEE ALSO: Mural project proposed for Cloverdale (From 2021)

SEE ALSO: BIA director wants a ‘cohesive’ approach to public art and placemaking in Cloverdale (From 2021)

SEE ALSO: Cloverdale’s murals are disappearing, but the stories will live on, says art teacher (From 2018)

Koehn said Pohl plans to start painting in mid-September with the hopes of unveiling it during B.C. Culture Days, which runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 24.

“The community will be able to participate in painting this mural,” Koehn explained. She said once people sign up, they’ll be able to come down at a set time and paint with the artist. “We want people to feel like it’s their mural.”

Koehn said the other two murals will likely be painted in the spring.

Mural two, called “Rodeo,” will be painted on the back of the Dale Building in “ultra-saturated colours” and wrap around from the back of the building to the side.” Artist Jean Paul Langois’s mural will depict a rider on a bucking bull, a rodeo clown, and a riderless bucking bull.

Mural three, called “Sunshine Circle,” will be painted on the alley side of the building that houses Mates Uniforms. Artist and Lord Tweedsmuir grad Lucy Fournier’s piece will depict the setting sun.

Koehn said mural three will be 100 per cent community painted. She said the artist will outline “Sunshine Circle,” but the actual work will be done by people who sign up to paint portions of it.

She is also planning an artist’s talk which will have a mural spray painting demonstration as part of it. Koehn said she’d like to have it in Hawthorne Square something this fall. It will be targeted at young artists and focus on painting and public art.

Koehn said other building owners have expressed interest in having murals painted.

“Masons Furniture said they want a mural and that may happen in the spring,” revealed Koehn. “The Legion has said they want a mural painted on their building too.”

Koehn said she’s open to engagement from any other building owners, as well.

“This is a community-led project. We want to connect with people. What artists do they like? What type murals do they like? What do they want to see in Cloverdale?”

Koehn urged anyone interested in giving feedback to take the two public engagement surveys she has running online. (Links can be found at the bottom of this story.)

Koehn also said she envisions multiple murals in the downtown core.

“We want to partner with the community and the BIA to come up with a vision for a mural walk, much like the one in Langley,” she explained.

“Its going to help with tourism too.”

The Cloverdale Mural Project has a forthcoming website (cloverdalemurals.com), which should be live in the next few weeks. The project can also be found on Instagram: ​​cloverdalemurals and on Facebook: ​@cloverdalemurals.

Links to surveys:

Public engagement survey number 1.

Public engagement survey number 2.



editor@cloverdalereporter.com

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Malin Jordan

About the Author: Malin Jordan

Malin is the editor of the Cloverdale Reporter.
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