Embracing the sights and sounds of an Okanagan spring, the fifth mural painted by UBC Okanagan visual arts students is titled, Okanagan Orchard. Twenty students enrolled in the course were been busy painting this new mural in the Landmark District, throughout May and June.

The site of this year’s mural is the perfect location for the Public Art Project to continue to build and expand the urbanization of the Landmark District with vibrant street art. The students once again collaborated with instructors David and Jorden Doody to paint another colourful, large-scale mural, adjacent to the Wild Horses mural that was painted last summer.

“With the re-location of Kelowna’s Farmer Market to the Landmark District we have an opportunity to create an artistic intervention that will impact thousands of visitors each year. We have transformed this concrete laneway into an artistic masterpiece that visitors can walk right into,” says David Doody.

The inspiration for the 2024 mural is the great symphony of colour and sound that returns each spring to the orchards of the Okanagan—a symbol of renewal and rebirth, explains Jorden Doody.

“Looking up through a criss-cross lattice of branches, the bright blue spring sky carries a fragrant explosion of soft pink orchard blossoms, while a lively chorus of western tanager songs fill the air,” she says.

Support for this project was made possible with the generous donations from Sunbelt Rentals, Delux Paints, and Fresh West Official.

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18 students enrolled in this year’s mural course were busy painting this new mural outside the Landmark District Market throughout July and August. The mural was celebrated on Thursday, August 17, 2023. This is the fourth mural painted by UBCO’s Visual Arts students who collaborated with instructors David and Jorden Doody to paint a colourful, large-scale mural.

The theme for this year’s UBCO Public Art Project draws inspiration from wild horses of the Okanagan. Wild horses have long been a symbol of strength and freedom for many cultures. As our fourth mural in our local flora and fauna series, this mural uses the wide panorama of the architecture to illustrate a fantastical view of our picturesque region.

UBCO’s Department of Creative Studies partnered with Stober Group for the 2023 mural course, helping to secure a highly visible wall in the growing Landmark District.

Support for this project was made possible with the generous donations from Sunbelt Rentals, Stober Group, Dulux Paints, and Fresh West Official.

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Nine students in the visual arts mural painting course began work in early May 2022, unveiling the finished painting on June 23.

This latest mural is located 2820 Pandosy St., and continues the theme of the previous two murals in downtown Kelowna—sensitive habitats and ecosystems of the Okanagan. Each mural depicts local flora and fauna to help bring awareness to some of the sensitive habitats in the local area.

The design features a large western painted turtle, showing it as the sun sets in a very calm surreal setting.

Support for this project was made possible with the generous donations from Sunbelt Rentals, CTQ Consultants Ltd., Opus Framing and Art Supplies and Fresh West Official.

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Ten students worked on this project at 1358 St. Paul St. throughout July and August of 2021, unveiling the finished mural, Golden Hour, on August 19, 2021.

With this mural, the students hope to build a strong connection to the importance and fragility of the region’s local ecosystems. A blue heron is the central character, and course instructor David Doody describes the heron as an ancient and beautiful bird that survives and thrives only when there are healthy fish stocks.

“By including the iconic beauty of our picturesque valley as the mural’s backdrop we hope to remind viewers that we are all living in a natural work of art,” he says. “With this design, we hope to pay homage and respect to the land and those who came before us.”

Support for this project was made possible with the generous donations from Sunbelt Rentals, CTQ Consultants Ltd., Opus Framing and Art Supplies and Fresh West Official.

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