CHESTERMERE – The YELL Community Mural project is nearing completion, with almost 500 individual masterpieces now finished and ready to be arranged into one big piece of art.
The YELL (Youth Encouraging Lasting Leadership) group has been working on the mural for a year. They decided to go ahead with the project after receiving $6,000 in funding from the Chestermere Conrich Regional Recreation Board.
With the grant in hand, YELL contacted Calgary artist and mural-enthusiast Dean Stanton, who has put together murals for some Calgary schools and businesses.
The Chestermere mural will be four by 24 feet, and will be made up of 500 six by six inch wood panels. The location for the mural hasn’t yet been determined.
Junior youth leader Hannah Cook said that YELL tried to get lots of groups in the community represented in the project. The wood panels were painted by groups at the Chestermere Public Library, by students at local schools, and by participants of Alberta Art Days. Panels were also completed by staff at town hall, by members of the local RCMP and fire department, and by the YELL group themselves.
Each group was given a kit, complete with panels to paint, six paint colors to use, and paintbrushes.
“It’s been pretty cool to see all the different kinds of work that has come in from all of the different groups,” Cook said. “Some of them are really creative considering there were only a few colors to use.”
Cook said that once all of the panels come together, Stanton will paint black lines over the original design to creative one big image. She said he has started on it and will complete it once all of the individual panels are completed.
“We’re basically making the background, and then he paints the lines overtop,” she said. “When we pull it all together it will look really cool.”
Cook said that getting the mural done has been a long process, but that they’re excited to see the final result.
“The hardest part was getting people involved and getting all the pieces done,” she said. “500 was a lot to pass out but we’re almost done.
“It’s been a lot of work, but it’s going to be so worth it.”
The YELL group is still looking for participants to help complete the last 100 panels for the mural. Anyone interested in helping can contact Hannah Cook or Brennan Dressler at 403-207-7027.
YELL is a youth council in Chestermere that provides a voice for youth in the community. They organize and participate in many local events in order to provide leadership opportunities for youth in Chestermere and SE Rocky View.
