Submitted by Cranbrook Arts and The Sam Steele Society

Thanks to Cranbrook Arts, Canada 150 Funding from the Government of Canada and Sam Steele Days Society, Western Financial Place now has piece of collective artwork from over 500 Cranbrook and area residents.

This Canada 150 Mural, reflecting our diversity, was created through May and June of 2017 as part of the Canada 150 celebrations. The mosaic mural celebrates the Sam Steele Society’s theme for 2017, ‘This is Me. This is We. Strong Proud and Free.’

During April and May of this year over 500 canvases were distributed through a cross-section of Cranbrook and area’s population. Participants including many school students were given instruction in monochromatic painting and predetermined numbers of canvases were assigned different colours for completion. Each participant was asked to paint something that reminded them of their cultural background.

The result is a mural celebrating our diversity, which reflects the Sam Steele Society’s theme of, “This is me. This is we. Strong Proud and Free.”

In addition, during Sam Steele Days, participants were asked to do the same thing but only in red, white and black. These squares were assembled in the panel beneath the main mural.

“There is everything from just the word, ‘Eh’ to bagpipes amongst the beautiful individual canvases,” said Jenny Humphrey, retiring president of Cranbrook Arts. “We hope the public will stop by, admire the many mini pieces of artwork and try to find as many ‘Canada 150’s’ as they can.”

The final assembly of all canvases took place during Sam Steele Days in Balment Park June 17 and 18 and was hung in Western Financial Place during the summer.

View a time-lapse video of the project’s assembly, courtesy Jordan Nering, Artistic Media Productions.

Lead image – Jenny Humphrey, Stacy Paulson and Yvonne Vigne with the mural at Western Financial Place. Photo submitted

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