What was once considered vandalism is now considered art — and it is springing up all over Regina’s North Central neighbourhood.
Local children, artists and the community association have joined forces to create graffiti art.
The latest project involved a cargo container that has been transformed into four large murals. It sits at the back of a community garden in the neighbourhood and acts as a tool shed.
Neighbourhood kids and artists from the McKenzie Art Gallery spent about a month creating the brightly coloured murals, which depict vegetables, nature, and the Tree of Life.
The art coordinator of the McKenzie, Wendey Winter, says it does more than just beautify the neighbourhood:
“If you have a space where people are going to come and put graffiti on it, but you put a mural on it, it’s far less likely that someone’s going to come along and tag on top of that.”
The editor of the local community newspaper has been pushing for the community garden for years. Jan Morier says the completed project is a delight:
“This is the opposite of neglect. This is involvement.”
The children are also creating 4×8 murals on sheets of plywood. They will be displayed at a park near the city’s North Central area.