Ganges will have four new murals gracing various walls around the village, thanks to a project geared at getting visitors to frequent places off the main drag.
A joint Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce and Salt Spring Arts project was successful in receiving up to $50,000 to commission four murals in Ganges. The murals will serve as stops on a public art walking tour, meant to expose visitors to the less-visited shops and cafes on smaller side streets that feed into the oft-frequented waterfront area.
Salt Spring Arts will oversee the “rigorous design submission and jury selection processes,” a news release from funding organization Island Coastal Economic Trust stated.
Some prime locations for the murals have been identified, including the Visitor Information Centre on Lower Ganges Road, a bus shelter and downtown buildings. Canadian mural artists will be invited to submit mural concepts on the theme of “sustainability, reciprocity and creativity,” with special efforts to attract submissions from “members of Salt Spring’s youth, queer and BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, People of Colour] communities.”
“Salt Spring Island is already known for its vibrant arts scene, and is home to many arts organizations, galleries and studio tours, as well as a major national arts prize that attracts artists from across Canada,” stated Inga Michelson, of the chamber. “The Ganges village mural walking tour will facilitate stronger connectivity between these existing cultural assets.”
Funding comes from the THRIVE Small Capital Program, launched last May to help downtowns, main streets and business districts in the Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast region. With support from regional tourism organizations, the program provides funding for up to 100 per cent of eligible project costs and is accepting applications on an ongoing basis until the program is fully subscribed.
For more on the mural project, see the March 16 edition of the Gulf Islands Driftwood.