New town mural unveiled on the corner of Oliver St. and First Avenue
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 52° 07.745 W 122° 08.725
10U E 558498 N 5775739
The most recent of the many downtown murals which brighten downtown Williams Lake, its name, Kucwelcken, is the Secwepemc language word meaning Backbone.
Waymark Code: WM11ATT
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 09/17/2019
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Alfouine
Views: 2

Elks Logo The City of Williams Lake has styled itself the Mural Capital of the Cariboo and not without good reason. It was the local chapter of Communities in Bloom which provided the initial impetus for a downtown mural project. The project was embraced by city council and got underway in (as best we can tell) 2002 with the first mural, When Duty Calls, being placed on the fire hall in 2002. The artist was Dwayne Davis of Davis Arts. Davis has been the artist for the majority of the downtown murals, which now total around 30, some inside but the majority outside.

One may check out all the downtown murals at the Mural Tour.

With a Grand Unveiling on September 8, 2018, this is the most recent of the murals to be completed, as of 2019. While this mural has been referred to as a "little mural on a big wall" by its creator, it is also one of the more inspired, and inspiring, murals in Williams Lake's Downtown Mural project. While Dwayne Davis had a major hand in the creation of this mural, it was the vision of Al-Lisa Tressiera-Mckay of Miss White Spider Arts, a member of the nearby Secwepemc First Nations Band. She also did most of the artwork in this masterpiece.

ollowing are excerpts from a news article published by the Williams Lake Tribune to mark the auspicious occasion of the mural's unveiling.
New town mural unveiled on the corner of Oliver St. and First Avenue
Honouring the rich history of the First Nations people of Williams Lake, Art Walk opens new mural.

PATRICK DAVIES | Sep. 15, 2018
Dwayne Davis, a local artist and muralist, has been the lead muralist of the mural project since its inception in 2000. He said that Art Walk and downtown mural projects originally started as private endeavours until the projects were eventually taken over and sponsored by the Williams Lake Downtown Business Improvement Association (BIA) and co-funded by the City of Williams Lake...

...For this most recent mural, he was the facilitator and worked closely with another artist, Al-Lisa Tressiera-Mckay, who designed and did most of the painting.

“She had never painted a mural this size so my job really was to help her get through the mural,” Davis explained. “We worked through it and the piece turned out really good.”

Davis said he thinks both the Art Walk and the downtown murals as a whole are great ways to show the talent present in Williams Lake. In addition, he said, it provides a cultural spirit for the town that would otherwise be absent.

Next summer, Davis said he foresees BIA organizers being able to expand the Art Walk and the downtown murals project a little bit, through creating more murals and featuring more artists’ work in local businesses.

At the unveiling, Sugarcane Band Elder Mary Thomas of the Shuswap nation led a prayer to the Creator and a drum circle with representatives from the BIA in attendance.

Mckay then shared a few words about the mural and the process of bringing it to life, for which she extended a big thank you to Dwayne and his son Steven. The trio had their trials throughout the process but Mckay joked she was happy to have completed it right on the deadline day.

Originally based off one of her paintings, Mckay said she was impressed with how it evolved and grew through the collaborative effort.

“When you get different artists working together on a concept that comes from another artist, that art is going to change. It’s going to take on other energies and for this mural, it was a really beautiful combination,” Mckay said. “I am so pleased with how it turned out. It’s more beautiful than the original.”

The mural’s name is Backbone, and for Mckay represents femininity, representation and getting back to the natural world. This is all while honouring the First Nations and the spirits of this land; something that Mckay said was her key focus throughout the project.
From the Williams Lake Tribune
Type of publication: Newspaper

When was the article reported?: 09/15/2018

Publication: Williams Lake Tribune

Article Url: [Web Link]

Is Registration Required?: no

How widespread was the article reported?: regional

News Category: Arts/Culture

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