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Th ursday, September 14, 2017 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • 3Serving your community since 1856 CITY NEWS WATERLOO CHRONICLE CITY NEWSCITY NEWS WATERLOO CHRONICLE In living colour Second mural project helps build momentum for art district idea on University Avenue By Bob Vrbanac Chronicle Sta� A plan to turn blank walls into canvas-es along University Avenue got another splash of colour last week when the latest mural project was unveiled. � e building nearby Swan Dust Control, at the corner of Regina Street and University Avenue, has been the guinea pig for a new public art dis- trict project that started last year in reaction to a spate of gra� ti incidents in the area. Tired of having to cover up all the tags and overt acts of vandalism, the longtime local busi- ness decided to do something with a little more long lasting impact than simply repainting the wall again with a drab white colour. Last year they contracted the services of local muralist Pamela Rojas to create a colourful paint- ing representing the four seasons. The burst of colour along Regina Street became a bit of a local landmark after working through some city hall red tape to get approval. "We're surrounded by so much asphalt in this area, why not have some beauty that can liven up the area," said Diane Wiliamson, who handles communications and marketing for the local company who came up with the idea. "It's nice for the people who live and work in this area to see some colour." More importantly, taggers seem to respect the work of other wall artists and there has been no reoccurrence of the same type of vandalism issues on the wall over the past year. "Less tagging takes place because artists respect artists," said Williamson. This year the process was a lot easier, said Williamson, with the City of Waterloo coming on board and even supplying some funding from the Waterloo Neighbourhood Matching Fund. The idea of turning the area into a public art district, like famous areas in cities like Miami and oth- ers, seemed to appeal to everyone especially the building's owner Chris Tank. Tank said he grew up in the area, and loved the idea of adding to the canvas of the neighbour- hood. "Getting rid of the gra� ti was a byproduct of it, but it really was a community project to support the arts," said Tank, a well-known local arts sup- porter who also backs live music venues at Max- well's Concert Hall and nearby Morty's. "We just ran with it and decided to brighten the area up." The new mural has a decidedly musical theme, casting shadows of singers and musicians who might play in the nearby music halls. A cool twist is that a lot of the shadows were cast by the participants in the project as wells as passersby and store owners who still come out to point at their silhouette on the wall. "And the silhouettes are actual people who passed by on the street and us," said Ralf Wall, one of the � ve dedicated artist that worked on the project with help from the community. He said the next step is to convince some of his fellow business owners and land owners to con- sider their walls for similar projects. "It would be great if we could turn this whole area into a big art gallery," said Tank. "When you drive up this way and see it for the � rst time it's really impressive. It's much better than looking at a big white wall." Rojas was also back this year to co-ordinate the project, but instead of having just one artist she asked if her new project, the Pomegranate Mural Collective, could be involved. "I founded the collective a year-and-a-half ago and they're all local artists, too," said Rojas. "I wanted to keep making murals, but I wanted my colleagues to be part of it." � ey started the project in late August with the artists coming at night to � ash lights and put the outline of the artwork up on the wall. � en they added the vibrant colours and used themselves to make up some of the familiar shapes found up on the wall. "We do a big drawing and then we project it at night," said Wall. "Afterwards you come in and paint it in." � ey've had great feedback so far, and people have taken a real shine to the project. "One of the restaurant owners comes out and says, 'Hey I'm still there,'" said artist Ann MacK- enzie, who also contributed to the work. "� ey're all proud of it." Coun. Jeff Henry, who represents the ward, said it's a great example of the community com- ing up with an idea and taking ownership of a project. "� ese aren't blank walls, they're blank can- vases, and it's really helped add some colour to the area," he said. "It helps people feel more connected, more welcomed and hopefully more inspired as they go about their day." BOB VRBANAC PHOTO Artists and backer behind a new mural in the proposed publlic arts district on University Avenue stand in front of the latest work inspired by the music clubs in the area. Call 519-623-3050 ext. 232 GO "MULTI-MEDIA" with Metroland Starting aS low aS $299 • target geographically using IP addresses • target behaviourally using consumer habits • target "on-the-fly, but close-by" with our fully mobile programs for phones, tablets and other devices ADvErTIsE yOUr MEssAGE On-LInE! 20,000 to1.2 million views or more annually