West End laneways get a meaningful makeover with Vancouver Mural Fest (PHOTOS)
The Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF) is gearing up for its 2022 celebration, with over 30 murals being painted and unveiled across the city from August 4 to 14.
One of the iconic neighbourhoods showcasing the stunning public artworks is the West End, and a meaningful mural series honouring the contributions of those who shaped our communities is continuing this year.
VMF, in collaboration with the West End BIA, is adding three new murals to the West End Laneway Series, and visitors will soon be able to see them in person.
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“The West End laneway mural series is a collaborative initiative between Vancouver Mural Festival and the West End BIA to beautify the streetscape while reflecting and sharing the neighbourhood’s diverse history through visual storytelling,” VMF told Daily Hive.
“The recently renamed laneways that run through the West End honour local historical figures that have shaped our city and communities. We hope this year’s three new murals in Rosemary Brown Lane, Jepson-Young Lane and Ted Northe Lane, along with two from 2021, will shine a light on the important contributions made by their namesakes and act as a bridge between the neighbourhood’s history and its vibrant community of residents, visitors, and tourists.”
During VMF 2022 and beyond, visit the neighbourhood to discover the three new murals, including:
The Blossoming of Compassion by Kirk Gower
The Blossoming of Compassion by Kirk Gower (Sabrina Miso Creative/Vancouver Mural Festival)
Kirk Gower’s West End Laneway mural spotlights Dr. Peter Jepson-Young, a Vancouver medical doctor diagnosed with AIDS who then created the weekly CBC series Dr. Peter Diaries to help educate the public about his journey with HIV and AIDS.
Before his passing in 1992, Jepson-Young founded the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation and the Dr. Peter Centre, a place where people with AIDS could receive compassionate care through to the end of their lives.
According to the mural statement, Gower’s artwork is a tribute to Jepson-Young’s tireless work to sow seeds of compassion.
The Blossoming of Compassion by Kirk Gower (Sabrina Miso Creative/Vancouver Mural Festival)
The Blossoming of Compassion can be found at Jepson-Young Lane at Denman, between Comox Street and Pendrell Street.
Thank you, Miss Rosemary by Sade Alexis
Thank you, Miss Rosemary by Sade Alexis (Sabrina Miso Creative/Vancouver Mural Festival)
Sade Alexis’ giant mural is a tribute to Rosemary Brown, the first black woman to be elected to a Canadian provincial legislature in 1972. She was re-elected three times, serving as MLA in the riding of Vancouver-Burrard until 1986.
Brown was also a professor of Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University, appointed Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and was a renowned champion of disadvantaged people.
According to the mural statement, Alexis’ artwork is a tribute to Brown’s important work of cultivating community and joy for Black women and femmes in Vancouver.
Thank you, Miss Rosemary by Sade Alexis (Sabrina Miso Creative/Vancouver Mural Fest)
Thank You, Miss Rosemary can be found at Rosemary Brown Lane at 830 Denman Street.
I am a Human Being by Matt Hanns Schroeter
I am a Human Being by Matt Hanns Schroeter (Sabrina Miso Creative/Vancouver Mural Fest)
Matt Hanns Schroeter’s West End artwork honours ted northe, a 2SLGBTQAI+ activist and drag queen involved in organizing Vancouver’s first Pride Parade. He also founded the first Canadian Chapter of the Imperial Court System in Vancouver, a non-profit safe haven for the queer community.
The “Empress of Canada” received many awards during his lifetime for his instrumental role in the raising of over $50 million for various charities, including the Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian and Distinguished Citizen Award, the B.C. Cancer Society Citizen’s Award for Fundraising, the Governor General’s Special Service Medal for Distinguished Citizen and Humanitarian, and a Certificate of Special USA Congressional Recognition.
Photo courtesy of BC Gay & Lesbian Archives; ted northe
I am a Human Being can be found at ted northe Lane at Denman, between Barclay Street and Nelson Street.
The three 2022 West End Laneway Murals join the See-em-ia Lane mural by Jody Broomfield and the Pantages Lane mural by Rory Doyle created last year.
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Download the VMF MOBILE APP to find and learn about over 300 murals — including 30+ new murals in 2022 — across the city. Visit https://vanmuralfest.ca/ and follow @vanmuralfest for details, event calendar, and updates for Vancouver Mural Festival 2022.
Vancouver Mural Festival 2022
When: August 4 to 14, 2022
Time:Â Various times
Where:Â Various locations
Cost:Â Free and ticketed events
Daily Hive is a proud media partner of the 2022 Vancouver Mural Festival
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