A small park in downtown Moncton received a facelift Wednesday, thanks to some local artists. The project is part of a community effort to change the face of the community.
“I think this is going to be a great stimulus for more art to be done in our downtown,” says Lawrence Forbes of Downtown Moncton.
Shannon Kirk is the artist behind the new seven-metre-long mural in Oak Park.
Kirk says she wanted to show how Moncton’s industries have shaped the city into what it is today.
“The shipbuilding industry back in the early 1800s, the railway industry, and then of course the IT industry, we’re one of the fastest growing cities east of Saskatoon,” says Kirk.
It was decided early on in the planning stages that the mural’s theme would be resurgo, which has been Moncton’s motto since the 1800s and means to rise again. Given the fatal shootings of three RCMP officers in the city last month, the motto has even more significance.
“This tragedy and sadness has taken our community and we’re going to rise again and take back our community,” says Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc.
Other new art hitting the streets of Moncton is both flashy and trashy, as artists use garbage bins as their canvas.
LeBlanc says the new bins are the coolest ones around and, as a result of being inspired by the new art, the mayor is calling for a new piece of public art to be unveiled once a year.
“By doing that, within five or six years, I think that’ll really change our downtown,” says LeBlanc.
Artists behind the projects say Moncton can expect to see a lot more public art in the future.
“We’ve got about four other projects in the works to happen between now and September,” says artist Lisa Griffin.
In an effort to draw more people downtown, the city will also be offering free musical entertainment on Wednesdays and Fridays during July and August.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Sarah Plowman
