A giant blank wall facing Coquitlam City Hall is about to get a splash of paint.
The city is calling for professional artists to create a mural on the 3,400 sq. ft. white wall next to Spirit Square, at 1198 Pinetree Way; the deadline to apply is Friday, July 7.
The wall is one of four locations selected by the city as part of its 2023 Mural Program, which is a component of Coquitlam’s $1-million Streetscape Enhancement Program that will see, over two years, high-traffic neighbourhoods beautified with artwork, street lights and furniture.
Utilities director Jonathan Helmus told the Tri-City News that $100,000 for the Streetscape Enhancement Program will come from the $435,000 Destination Development Grant that the city won this spring; the other $900,000 will come from its Land Sale Reserve Investment Fund.
Besides the City Centre wall, the call is also for murals in Maillardville:
- 933 Adair Ave.: 320 sq. ft. (hair salon)
- 953 Brunette Ave.: 960 sq. ft. (art store)
- 953 Brunette Ave.: 192 sq. ft. (art store)
In addition, a mural will be painted in July by students at Place des Arts at the Maillardville hub’s Renaissance building, and a Kwikwetlem First Nation group is currently designing an Indigenous element for the new Town Centre Park Community Centre, formerly the Innovation Centre.
The updated complex is scheduled to reopen to the public next summer.
Plans are still being finalized for murals or public artworks in Burquitlam, Lower Lougheed and Austin Heights for 2024 — at an additional cost of $150,000 — Helmus said, noting the 2023 theme is Belonging and Diversity to tie in with the city priority for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
The artists’ entries will be juried by the Cultural Services Advisory Committee.
“There seems to be a lot of interest in this,” Helmus said of the mural call, “and we are very excited about this program moving forward in commercial areas of Coquitlam.”
This year’s Streetscape Enhancement Program will also include:
- feature lights: Brunette Avenue, $25,000
- feature lights: City Centre, $220,000
- gateway lights: Lougheed, $15,000
- architectural: Maillardville arch and bus stop, $90,000
- furniture: bike rack and bench expansion, $50,000
