New murals approved for Yarmouth

Two large murals will add more colour to Yarmouth buildings later this summer, thanks to the Town of Yarmouth’s new Mural Grant Program, which is managed by the Yarmouth Façade Society. The not-for-profit incorporated society funds the mural program at 75 per cent, up to a maximum of $7,500. The work is done by the property owner, who contracts the project with the artist. When the job is completed the property owner submits receipts.

One of the murals will be on the north side of the Iceworks building at 315 Main St., owned by Josh Malone and his wife Juihing. The size will be an estimated 25 x 25 feet. The artist is Danielle Mahood. The theme will be Yarmouth’s rich merchant sailing history tied in with historic Orient.

The other mural is an Octopus’ Garden ArtsSmarts project of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and Maple Grove students. The mural is designed by Danielle Mahood and she will be overseeing the student’s progress. Each student will be responsible for completing a piece of the project, with guidance from Mahood and Maple Grove Grade 8 art teacher Darcie Doucette. The project is approximately 8 x 20 feet and consists of 10 panels. The location is yet to be revealed. For this project, the society will be assisting with costs of installation, as Arts Smarts is funding the actual project costs.

Society president Belle Hatfield says other businesses have expressed interest and the society is assisting in trying to match artists with appropriate properties. “The biggest challenge is uncertainty. Funding public art is not a core expense for our downtown businesses, and in this pandemic time, there is an understandable hesitancy,” she says. In some ways it’s been a blessing for the society, which saw a 100 per cent turnover in its board last October.

“It’s giving us time to orient ourselves, so we are prepared for a slow and steady roll out of this program. We anticipate it rolling out over the next five years and we see the value, actually, in building interest and enthusiasm within the local community as one after another of these public art installations go up,” Hatfield says.

Because they are created in public, the act of creation is itself expected to be a draw — one the society hopes will encourage more murals in coming years.