Over the summer, North Point Douglas has benefited from the efforts of a collaborative project with impressive results. Michaëlle Jean Park, home to a large-scale, wood-fried outdoor community oven — the first of its kind in Winnipeg — was officially unveiled last Sunday.
The oven features the hard work of emerging artists from the Young Artists Project working out of Studio 5. Through late-June until August, the team participated in both the design process and production of a meticulous and bold mosaic mural, facilitated by artist Leah Decter, project coordinator and artistic director of the North Point Douglas Women’s Center Community Oven Project.
This team, formed as a Graffiti Art Programming (commonly referred to as the Graffiti Gallery) community-development initiative, will also participate in other community art projects, including the upcoming mural The Dogs of Our North Point Douglas Neighborhood. Rachel Schappert, a recent graduate of the University of Manitoba’s School of Art, will facilitate the mural, which will be located on the Michaëlle Jean Park facing wall of the Norquay Community Centre.
“The intention of the Young Artist Project was to pull together youth who attend Graffiti Art Programming, from a variety of our studios (393 and 5, and Graffiti Gallery) and place them in a setting that would provide creative work opportunities, where they could influence our community (North Point Douglas) through art creation and arts curating. Our express interest was to address the need for a platform where youth affect their community through creative problem solving,” says Jillian Ramsay, Programs Director of Graffiti Art Programming.
Schappert has worked on community murals before. In 2007, the West End biz in association with Neighbourhoods Alive! and HRSDC hired her to work on a mural located between Ellice Avenue and McGee Street.
“The mural evolved into a colourful collaboration that received so much enthusiastic encouragement from people walking past that summer. It was nice to beautify and engage the community through such a dynamic and creative project,” says Schappert.
As for the upcoming mural with the Young Artists Project, Schappert comments that she has been in the process of putting the word out to dog owners in the area about this community collaboration that invites people to send photos (accompanied by stories) of local dogs to be painted into the mural.
“I have hopes that it’ll be fun for people in the community to get to know the many dogs of North Point Douglas on a new level—making creative and social connections through our canine friends!” she adds.
Graffiti Art Programming, located at 109 Higgins Avenue, is not-for-profit community youth art center. The organization provides a variety of services, which use “art as a tool for community, social, economic, and individual growth.”
In addition to outreach programming, Graffiti Art Programming also hosts art shows that represent local, national, and international artists who express themselves in a variety of mediums – including the current show, “An Unusual Journey,” a showcase of a selection of prints created by graffiti artist Erni Vales.
The Dogs of Our North Point Douglas Neighbourhood Mural Project is accepting photos and stories about your dog or a dog you know and love at neighbourhood.dogs@gmail.com.
