During my time with Vancouver Mural Festival, I prepared a few budgets for different projects the Mural Fest team was working on. The budgets I created were then presented to clients along with “mock-ups”. These “mock-ups” are example murals, created from previous artist’s designs photoshopped onto the client’s proposed wall. Using the client’s feedback from the “mock-up” example murals, the Mural Fest team hires an artist to design and execute the perfect mural for the client. So, for my creative response to working with Vancouver Mural Festival, I have created my own mural proposal, complete with a budget and “mock-up” examples. I have created this proposal in a perfect world, without constraints of city bylaws or limiting budgets.

I have proposed for this mural to be erected on the furthest south-facing pillar of the Burrard Street Bridge in Vanier Park. I noticed the pillars of the bridge looked a bit run down and could use some revitalization. I feel that having a mural on the underside pillars of the bridge would liven up the surrounding pedestrian area.

For my “mock-ups”, I have created two examples. One example mural was a collaboration by 3 Vancouver-based First Nations artists named Sharifah Marsden, Jerry Whitehead and Corey Bulpitt. Vanier Park has rich First Nations history, so creating a mural to reflect that history would be fitting.

My second example mural was created by Ali Burns. I think her geometric style matches well with the shape and cut outs of the proposed wall. The bright colours of her murals would make the area pop.

To create the budget for this project, I have accounted for 6,400 square feet of wall and approximately 10 days of work. Artist wages were calculated from the CARFAC website. I have also accounted for administrative fees, wall preparation costs, and project insurance.

Vancouver Mural Festival is an immersive street festival, complete with live music, street vendors, and neighbourhood events. This summer, over 60 new murals had been painted and shown off in guided tours done by the festival. This year marked the second year of the festival. VMF was created to serve as a platform for artists to showcase their skills and highlight local cultures in the city.

Through the medium of public art, VMF contributes to Vancouver’s art and culture legacy. The murals act as a way of advertising for artists and local businesses in the Mount Pleasant area. The festival creates an inclusive community, showcasing local and also international artists’ work. These murals contribute to creating a beautiful urban space and neighbourhood pride.

VMF is volunteer run! In addition to its small team of 12 individuals, the festival is done in partnership with The City of Vancouver, Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Area, Burrard Arts Foundation and The Georgia Straight.

Get involved with Mural Fest! Artists apply online and are given artistic freedom while working in collaboration with the directors. All artists are paid! Business owners can donate their walls to be painted with murals. You can also volunteer to help with the construction of murals.

My partnership is pretty free and unstructured. Because the festival happens in the summer time, right now there is no time-specific goal besides helping out the coordinators for Vancouver Mural Festival as much as possible. Staring in October, I’ll be having weekly meetings with the team. In addition to Andrea (the Director of Operations of the Mural Festival), I’ll also be working closely with the festival’s Executive Assistant, Tom.

I’ll be doing some exploration on the behind the scenes of Vancouver Mural Festival. This will include working on fundraising and grant writing. I’m also really looking forward to sitting in on meetings and learning more about urban planning and BIAs and how they work with artists (Vancouver Mural Festival) to create beautiful spaces for city dwellers. Vancouver Mural Festival is really interested in urban planning and revitalization, so they’ll be having me sit in on city council meetings to see what is going on and being planned in the city of Vancouver.

I’ll hopefully be witnessing the process of mural creation. This would include seeing the painting of it, as well as the artist application process and planning behind it.

Basically, I’ll be helping out with day-to-day activities of Vancouver Mural Festival coordinators, and helping them plan for the next year.