A group of five artists turned a blank wall at The Centre into an inspirational mural during an intensive weekend of work.
Four local youths joined with Regina’s Josh Goff in creating an urban art mural which covers the four meter high by 20 meter long north facing wall of The Centre in downtown Swift Current.
“It’s interesting to see it being blank and then finally, it’s all done,” noted Goff, who boasts a decade of creating mural art in Regina. “I know how it’s going to look to a certain point, but some of it happens organically and things shift and change while you’re doing it. It’s neat to see the way it unfolds.”
The artists used over 30 cans of specialized spray paint to craft the mural over three days of intensive work. Four distinct portions of the wall showcase the innovative ideas crafted by the individual artists,
but the combined mural contains a symbolic message.
Goff, who was brought in to mentor the Swift Current youth contributing to the wall, abandoned his traditional graffiti handle “True” and opted to focus his contribution through “Aspire” as the central component of the mural.
“The word aspire really stood out to me, especially from talking to Jim (Magee) and getting the feel of what The Centre is all about – being a positive place for youth to hang out. I really kind of connected with that word. Being aspired to have a great set of values and for something to push yourself toward. I really thought that was something I could relate to, and the kids could relate to, and anybody can relate to.”
Mike Kaye began the wall with his handle SureOne. Karrissa Brynildsen designed a heart and crown with the message "Love Will’, and Katie Spence designed the west side of the mural with a ladder and hands reaching towards an eye in the sky. Allie Steinley worked to bring the elements together with connecting pieces of
background elements common to all areas of the mural. When combined, the mural boasts the message “Sure Love Will Aspire To Greatness”.
“We had a template of what we wanted to do, but the organic process of it is now even better than I thought it was going to be,” Goff said.
He added that allowing a wide range of ideas and thoughts into the project turned it into a Swift Current project instead of simply a showcase of his work.
“That would’ve just been me, it wouldn’t have been me working with this community. I’ve done so many projects already, that I know the mentality of being open and letting other people’s thoughts come through the whole process is the most important part.”
Jim Magee, Director of The Swift Current Community Youth Initiative at the Centre, was pleased the way the
mural transformed a drab wall into an eye-catching artwork.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Magee said. “It’s exciting to see the creativity we have with some of our kids.”
He noted the idea of a mural developed out of suggestions from The Center’s Steering Committee and Programming Committee as a way to find more programming for youth to be involved in. There is the
potential for local artists to contribute to one mural per year (three in total) to add to the work done by this initial group.
“We’re trying to set a positive tone. The community’s been very supportive of the whole youth initiative here. If they can see the creativity again that the youth can do, maybe it’ll spur on other projects even within the city. So that’s what I would like to see, and give them an opportunity to express themselves in a positive way.”
Magee added that the initial reaction to the mural has been excellent.
“It’s actually interesting. We’ve had a lot of people that have driven by already and were quite impressed with it,” Magee said. “It was a drab wall so its come a long way.”
