Sylvan Lake will soon be a brighter community with multiple murals and art projects for the downtown area.
Town Council heard a report Monday night which stated there will be 11 different projects to be completed this summer.
Sean Durkin, recreation manager with the Town of Sylvan Lake, says the Cultural Arts Program stems from the Town’s Cultural Master Plan.
“This has been a long time coming,” Durkin said, adding the recreation department has been working with local artists to create the new features.
For these projects, the Town is working with eight local artists including a few young adults.
Much of the new art pieces will be focused in an around Centennial Street, which is the focus of the Town’s downtown revitalization with the hopes of becoming a “festival street.”
The addition of public art pieces is said to give character and interest to the downtown area.
Some of these art pieces will also be interactive, like the Community Mural. This will be painted during the street markets planned for Saturdays in July and August.
According to the council package, this mural will be a “paint by numbers” design to be painted by visitors and the community.
Piano key and colourfully painted benches will also be done by the community and local artists throughout the summer to be placed throughout downtown and at the community gardens.
A donated piano will be painted by a local artist and be placed on Centennial Street for community engagement.
“I love this idea. There is one in a tunnel in Kelowna, and I always make a point of walking by and playing it,” said Coun. Teresa Rilling. “I think it will help bring visitors to the area and encourage people to walk around.”
A fence structure is planned to be placed on Centennial Street to create Sylvan Lake’s own Lockets of Love Fence. Inspired by the bridge in Paris, and linking to Sylvan Lake’s own French connection with the Stone Castle, the fence will be on Centennial Street and will encourage people to place a “love locket” on the fence.
Murals are also planned for the community gardens as well at the library.
Each of these projects, and more, are projected to be done throughout the summer months.