A new mural on the corner of Pandosy Street and West Avenue in Kelowna will be unveiled on June 23.
What: Lower Mission mural unveiling
Who: UBCO visual arts students and faculty, local contributors and stakeholders
When: Thursday, June 23, from 5 to 7 pm
Where: 2820 Pandosy St, Kelowna
The latest project by students in a UBC Okanagan fourth-year visual arts course—a new mural in the Lower Mission area of Kelowna—will be celebrated Thursday.
This project, on the corner of Pandosy Street and West Avenue, provides a great deal of value to UBCO’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) students, says Visual Arts Instructor David Doody. He and co-facilitator Jorden Doody supervise and guide the students through the steps of planning, pitching and painting a public mural.
Students gain the experience of working with a diverse range of technologies including projectors and mechanical lifts, while also learning a variety of paint applications and techniques common to mural painting.
This is the third year the course has been offered at the Okanagan campus and David says that he can see how much impact and excitement a large painting like this can bring to a community.
“Murals are great ways for artists to collaborate with other artists and non-artists to create a visually encapsulating culture and community,” he says.
This year’s mural continues the theme of the previous two murals in downtown Kelowna—sensitive habitats and ecosystems of the Okanagan. Each mural depicts local flora and fauna to help bring awareness to some of the sensitive habitats in the local area.
“Our design this year features a large western painted turtle, showing it as the sun sets in a very calm surreal setting,” David notes.
The nine students in the full credit, visual arts mural painting course began work in early May, and conclude this week.
UBCO’s department of Creative Studies partnered with the Stober Group to support this year’s mural course.
“Community is important to us, and we wanted a way to add to the uniqueness and vibrancy of the Pandosy neighbourhood,” says Bob Dagenais, Director of Development with the Stober Group. “The UBCO team certainly brought their ‘A’ game in achieving that.”.
On Thursday, June 23 at 5 pm, the public is invited to the launch of the completed mural. The students, along with instructors David and Jorden Doody, will be on hand to answer questions.
Other stakeholders, including representatives from Sunbelt Rentals and the Stober Group, may also be on hand for the unveiling. Local contributions over the past three years total more than $45,000 for this community-based beautification project.
David Doody is currently a Lecturer in the Visual Arts program, and a UBC Okanagan BFA alumnus from 2008. Jorden Doody is also a UBC Okanagan BFA alumna from 2008, and recently completed her Master of Fine Arts. Together they run Fresh West Official and coordinate the Uptown Mural Project in Rutland.
