Chemainus Festival of Murals Society “The Little Town That Did”©
In a quaint small town on the southern east coast of Vancouver Island, visitors come here by the thousands to explore what this town has to offer. This picturesque getaway is reminiscence of shops of yesteryear lining the streets for all to see. Visitors come here to experience its rich past of thousands of years ago when the Coast Salish Native people lived here and the past hundred or so years this town has flourished with the aid of the natural resources mainly lumber that made this small community thrive. That was until the early 1980’s when this town was hard hit by the recession in 1982 when the town’s folk heard that the mill was going to close down. The people of Chemainus decided to act quickly on this tragedy and decided with the help of Karl Schutz a businessman and the then Mayor Graham Bruce and the town council with volunteers to help; The Festival of Murals was born. Chemainus along with its pictorial images of the past can entertain tourists for days on end with its boutiques, a wild play element park where you can swing at over 140 km/h and experience g forces greater than 2. You can also enjoy the Raptor Park to see birds of prey along with many other attractions. The for sale signs are long gone since the recession of the 80’s and are now replaced with tourists to enjoy life’s little pleasures.
In order to portray the rich history of the area murals were painted on the sides of buildings some being quite large along with statues and carvings decorated this town. Each mural gives its own distinct version of past lives and the way the community evolved into today’s world. This town became one of the first in the world to use murals as a tourist attraction and has lead by example ever since. Artists from all over the world have given their time and expertise to transform this town into a work of art. Some of these murals take no less than 2000 hours to complete. In total there are 40 murals currently displayed to catch the eye of the tourist plus one in development. In 1983 this town won the prestigious New York Downtown Revitalization Award for showing by example how to utilize art and past resources to secure its future as a world class out door art exhibit attracting thousands of visitors here year. Because of the mild climate of Vancouver Island, visitors can enjoy year round visits to admire the artist’s representation of the past.
In April 2009, the town completed its first Trompe L’oeil mural on the famous Chemainus Theatre depicting the late Emily Carr a Canadian artist who was inspired by the indigenous people of the west coast. This Mural was painted by Steffan Junemann and named “Emily’s Beloved Trees”.
With a second Emily Carr mural on the way and others in the works this town is sure to keep the visitors to keep coming back for a new adventure year after year.
Below is a collection of the murals and who painted them.
“Steam Donkey” Painted in 1982 by Frank Lewis and Nancy Lagana, A steam donkey is basically a steam powered winch to drag logs out of the forests This painting is based on a photo of the Steam Donkey used for the Victoria Lumber & Manufacturing Company in Chemainus in 1885.
“The Hong Hing Waterfront Store” Painted in 1982 by Paul Marcano This mural depicts the store in which Fong Yen Lew owned and operated selling groceries and such including a bootlegging operation and gambling house. His store opened in 1915 but do to the government set up a government liquor store he was forced to shut down in the 1950’s.
“Arrival of the “Reindeer” in Horseshoe Bay” Painted in 1983 by Sandy Clark and Lea Goward In this mural a Native Princess watches the “Sloop” HMS Reindeer come into port on one of its many stops around the island
“Original Town of Chemainus, then know as Horseshoe Bay” Painted in 1983 by David Maclagan This mural shows what the original town looked lie back in 1891
“Company Store” Painted in 1983 by Dan Sawatzky Victoria Lumber & Manufacturing Company Store, circa 1917
“Temporary Houses” Painted in 1983 by David White Many early settlers built these tent and log structures as they cleared their land and earned funds to build their permanent dwelling. Circa 1912
Painted in 1989 by Robert Dafford Lumber Mill (now closed) depicting the end of the shift
“Letters from the Front” Painted in 2002 by David Goatley The painting features Lieutenant General Arthur Currie, commander at Vimy Ridge, as well as a portrait of Edmund J. Palmer, the local postmaster and mill manager, in addition to figures that illustrate the ordinary men and women who suffered through those years at home and on the front, and linked by the mail.”
This last picture is a work in progress designated mural #41 to be painted by Lurene Haines. This mural will be 60’ x 18’ includes men, women, children and native people around the 1800’s
These and many more murals can be seen on their website or in person. Visit Mural Town for more information.
Around the globe many other towns have now started to paint up the town with murals in hopes that they too will become as a big success story as Chemainus.
Next Artist: Art Mortimer…An avid muralist from Southern California
Websites for various featured artists of Dan Sawatzky, Robert Dafford, David Goatley and Lurene Haines
Emily Carr Calenders from Amazon.ca and Amazon.com Best Price
Books of Emily Carr
Canadian $$$
U.S. $$$
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