Several Richmond schools will be brightened up with public artwork and community murals in the upcoming year.
Grade 4 and 5 students at William Cook elementary will be participating in an art project titled Whimsical Garden, where they will attend a series of virtual and outdoor in-person art activities and workshops.
Students will participate in activities such as Indigenous carving, puppetry and eco-arts, which will be completed and installed on the school grounds by June 2022 for visitors and residents to enjoy.
The project is part of the City of Richmond’s 2021 Engaging Artists in Community Program and is led by community-based artist J Peachy with the help of Pat Calibou, Yolanda Weeks, Melissa West Morrison and Tiffany Yang.
Meanwhile, the city’s Community Mural Program is expected to complete four murals, which will decorate the outdoor walls of three elementary schools and one high school by this summer.
According to the City of Richmond, the public artworks will “add vibrancy to highly visible public spaces, foster community dialogue and cross-exchange, and engage diverse and multi-generational communities.”
The schools participating in the mural program are:
- McMath Secondary School (4251 Garry Street) – Artists Dean and Christina Lauzé will use the natural environment surrounding the school as inspiration.
- Thompson Elementary School (6211 Forsyth Crescent) – Local artist Fiona Tang will celebrate the school spirit and themes of recreation and play.
- Tomekichi Homma Elementary School (5100 Brunswick Drive) – Local artist Atheana Picha will explore local Indigenous stories and themes of belonging and community.
- Westwind Elementary School (11371 Kingfisher Drive) – Artists Dawn Lo and April dela Noche Milne will consider the themes of inclusiveness, play and being together.
