Vancouver Mural Festival's best of the neighbourhood: Mount Pleasant

Aug 31 2020, 4:58 pm

The Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF) is well into its 2020 celebration and this year, it can be experienced in more neighbourhoods than ever.

From now until September 7, artists will paint and unveil more than 60 murals in nine different neighbourhoods — adding to the vast amount of art that already decorates Vancouver streets.

By expanding to more neighbourhoods and creating more murals than ever, VMF organizers are aiming to support local artists, communities, and businesses while inviting attendees to safely enjoy nearby neighbourhoods.

As VMF celebrates its fifth anniversary, let’s explore the birthplace of the iconic event – Mount Pleasant:

Things to do

VMF Mural Tours presented by Herschel Supply 

Discover Mount Pleasant’s murals by going on a free, daily VMF Mural Tours presented by Herschel Supply. Official VMF mural tour guides DeTours will lead participants to new and existing murals, and educate them about the social history of Mount Pleasant and how it became the hub for the community-driven public art festival. Happening twice daily at 2 pm and 4 pm through September 7.

VMF Mural Tours presented by Herschel Supply

Order a picnic-to-go with Dine Outside

Tourism Vancouver’s newest summer initiative, Dine OutSide, sees participating restaurants offering prix fixe menus at $15, $25, $35, or $45 price points. Mount Pleasant has a number of favourite food sports serving special promotional deals and “take-outside” picnic packs to enjoy on pop-up patios and in nearby parks.

VMF Pop-Up Patio

Woman and man drinking on the patio (Joshua Resnick/Shutterstock)

Joshua Resnick/Shutterstock

If you’re looking for some pre- or post-mural hunting things to do in the neighbourhood, check out the VMF Pop-Up Patio presented by Granville Island Brewing. The open-air 19+ licensed, pop-up patio features ticketed sit-down live shows including burlesque (Tuesday), drag (Wednesday), comedy (Thursday), and live music (Saturday and Sunday plus closing night Monday). You can also reserve a free table and celebrate the weekend with drinks at Weekend Open Sessions, occurring all day Friday plus Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Shop for the perfect outfit

Looking for a new outfit to show off in your VMF selfie? Mount Pleasant has you covered with a wide variety of local boutiques, second-hand stores and vintage shops. Add a unique accessory or go for a splash of colour before you see what the festival has to offer this year.

Murals to see in Mount Pleasant

Animalitoland

Originally from Buenos Aires, Animalitoland has travelled, lived and painted murals around the world over the past six years. Using expressive characters and a strong presence of light and colour, she encourages people to work with sensitivity and imagination in a collective way.

For Animalitoland’s massive 3000 sq ft mural, titled ‘Presence’, she invites people to share their emotions for a collaborative mural that explores our minds. She told Daily Hive, “Emotions cycle in and out of us. Whether negative or positive, it’s easy to get swept away by them. This project invites us to find balance in between, exploring inside our minds to recognize what is happening.

Her mural can be found at 7 W 7th Avenue (east wall viewable from the Ontario St. bike route).

Animalitoland’s mural in progress at Vancouver Mural Fest. (Gabriel Martins/VMF 2020)

Ocean Hyland

Ocean Hyland’s mural “Love, Knowledge and Peace” shows a sign in the shape and look of the “Welcome to Vancouver” sign, adapted to state the peoples who belong to the land, water, and skies. The Tsleil waututh, Squamish, and Musqueam peoples. There is a wolf person, they are saying “ti encha7 chexw” asking the strange flying object “where are you from?”

“It is common when we have guests arrive we are able to recognize the people through their clothes (regalia), canoe style, and especially the songs they sing as they enter another’s territory. The wolf is holding a rattle with the hope and possibility it may be a friendly encounter.” explained Hyland.

Hyland’s piece can be found at 75 West 3rd Avenue (north wall, alley).

Ocean Hyland’s mural “Love, Knowledge and Peace” in progress. (VMF 2020)

Tabouli

Tabouli’s approach to design and illustration focuses on isometric projection and manipulation of depth and altitude. He breaks objects down into components and reconfigures them to create abstract, yet familiar, spatial forms.

In keeping with the VMF theme of Climate Change this year, Tabouli’s mural emphasizes a very important aspect of our planet that is at major risk—wildlife. Arctic animals are painted using an architectural technique called exploded isometric projection. This way of drawing is typically used to represent objects so that all facets of a whole can be represented as a sum of their parts. These intricate depictions showcase just how beautifully complex these endangered animals are, as a reminder of their importance to our planet.

His mural can be seen at 106 E. 7th Avenue (south wall, alley).

Tabouli’s VMF 2020 mural emphasizes a very important aspect of our planet that is at major risk—wildlife. (VMF 2020)

Oakland Galbraith

At 12 years old, Oakland Galbraith is VMF’s youngest-ever muralist. His art focuses on ideas of identity, inclusion, and the social fabric that makes up our city.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Me and my brother painting my mural for @vanmuralfest

A post shared by Oakland Galbraith (@oakland.galbraith) on

Check out Oakland’s VMF 2020 piece at 298 E. 11th Avenue (south wall, alley).

More new murals in Mount Pleasant in progress by:

ABBEY PIERSON

Location: 31 W.3rd (west wall)

JENNIFER CLARK

Location: 3207 Main St (west wall facing E.16th)

STEVE SMITH

Location: 3425 Main St (west wall, alley)

CARA GURI 

Location: 2410 Columbia St (south wall, alley)

CAROLE MATHYS

Location: 195 W.Broadway (west wall, alley)

ANTHONY JOSEPH

Location: north face of the Georgia Viaduct at Union St.

DOWNLOAD THE VMF MOBILE APP to find the the city’s 250+ murals including over 100 in Mount Pleasant, plus at least 10 more this summer. Visit https://vanmuralfest.ca/ and follow @vanmuralfest for details and updates for Vancouver Mural Festival 2020 (August 18 – September 7) 

Reminder: VMF Contest: Explore the nine VMF 2020 Mural Neighbourhoods. Post your favourite mural photos and tag #exploreVMF and @vanmuralfest on Instagram for your chance to win great prizes from all 9 neighbourhoods.

Daily Hive is a proud media sponsor of the 2020 Vancouver Mural Festival

Daniel ChaiDaniel Chai

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