The Town of Creston recently adopted a new mural policy late last month to help streamline the mural application process for local artists — a policy that had not been updated in 20 years.
“The last update was in 2000, and a lot of things have changed in the community,” said Coun. Jen Comer. “The existing policy was referring back to committees that don’t exist anymore. It was a good time to update and refresh the policy.”
The policy change was prompted by Marnie Temple, a local artist who in July had pitched to town councillors her idea for a “bunker” mural in hopes of kickstarting a Creston mural festival.
“There’s more of a desire for public art and downtown beautification. If we can provide people who are interested in this with a good framework to get them going, we will set them up for success,” said Comer.
READ MORE: Creston ‘bunker’ receives a mural facelift thanks to local artist, Calgary painters
In addition to producing a practical guide to creating a mural, the town’s new mural application features a comprehensive checklist for artists to follow to help them navigate the process.
Included in the list of required items to check off are the mural’s proposed site, a description of the project, the schedule, the budget and funding, the objective and scope of the project, and more.
SER-009-020 – Murals Policy… by Aaron Hemens
Like the previous mural policy, all mural applications will go to council, but Comer said that the new policy gives artists an idea of all the requirements that they need to meet in order to have a successful application.
“It really lays out all the pieces for any group or individual who wants to create a mural,” said Comer. “It’s a really great starting point instead of going from scratch and hoping that they’ve gotten all the pieces.”
She added that she hopes that the new policy opens the door for the creation of more murals in the downtown area.
“I think murals are an incredibly important part of our downtown vibrancy. Every community does their own, so it’s their own personality, their own flavour,” she said. “It’s always something that feels very authentic and increases their vibrancy downtown.”
She also highlighted how the new policy offers a new window of creativity for local artists.
“If they want to be able to showcase some of their work with murals, it’s a great opportunity,” she said. “If you look at some of the older murals that are still in really great shape, they tell stories about Creston’s history. That’s really special and something to be celebrated.”
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email:<a href="mailto:aaron.hemens@crestonvalleyadvance.ca
” target=”_blank”> aaron.hemens@crestonvalleyadvance.ca
@aaron_hemensaaron.hemens@crestonvalleyadvance.caLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
