Artists from across the country were in Halifax this weekend to help spruce up the community of Mulgrave Park as part of Paint the Park.
“It’s always a pleasure to use visual art as a channel to connect with people, connect with new population, new demographics,” said Monk. E, a well-known artist from Quebec who travelled to Halifax to paint.
The idea for the event came together following the death of basketball star Tyler Richards.
A mural was recently created in his honour and it got Richard’s friend and Paint Halifax founder Jeremy Nichole thinking that maybe art could do more for the area he calls home.
It’s hoped the artwork will not only bring the outside community in to Mulgrave Park, but also have a positive impact on young people in the area.
“The art is making these kids have the inspiration to be something better than what the environment offers them,” Nichole said.
“When I was a kid, I had athletics. Now, these kids have athletics and art.”
Mulgrave Park is a public housing development owned by the province. Those who live there are happy with the new addition and hope it changes the perception of their neighbourhood.
“Place has been not recognized as being a good place and this is going to really help,” said Ron Ranson, who has lived in the area for more than 50 years.
“The pictures, they’re awesome. They just catch your eye as soon as you walk in the place.”
Creating a piece of art isn’t easy. Artists are spending hours getting them right and creating something the community wants.
“In Mulgrave Park, there’s so many retaining walls and concrete barriers and things around here,” Halifax artist Dan Burt said. “They’re just a little bland. It looks like somebody tried to do something here and there, but for the most part, there’s just a lot of blank walls and blank canvasses for people like us to come and do our thing.”
“I love to paint where it’s needed, where aesthetically, it was kind of left to itself a little bit, this area. So now, we’re bringing art, we’re bringing colours, we’re bringing ideas to the people so they can, in their everyday life, be influenced and inspired,” Monk. E. said.
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