Sicamous’ spring beautification is underway, with a pair of community art projects ready for their debuts.
For the 20th year, amateur artists have gathered to hand-paint banners which will then be hung up around town signalling the start of spring.
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Vreny Bieri, one of the organizers, said 46 painters young and old participated in the project. She said two volunteers from the banner painting group were on hand for each of the painting sessions to help people along.
Bieri said this year’s banner designs were inspired by quilts so they could be displayed with another community art project being created at the same time.
The Eagle Valley Arts Council launched a project to create “barn quilts” to be auctioned off or given away. The barn quilts are large pieces of sign board with artworks painted on them in exterior acrylic paint with a clear coat over top.
The intention of the outdoor artworks is for them to be placed on the outside of barns and other large buildings, adding aesthetic appeal for those passing by.
Kim Hyde of the arts council said it is hoped the pieces will last for five years or more even when displayed outdoors.
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Hyde said a map of all the buildings the barn quilts will be placed on will be created so people will be able to take a drive and enjoy the artwork from the road. They will be placed in an area covering Malakwa, Sicamous and Swansea point.
The banners draped from the rafters and the large barn quilts mounted on easels made the Red Barn Arts Centre explode with colour when the two community art projects were displayed side by side on March 30 and 31.
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