CHESTERMERE – Last week, the members of the YELL (Youth Encouraging Lasting Leadership) group were finally able to step back and admire their hard work, as the first ever community mural was installed.
The giant art project, which the group has been hard at work putting together for the past year, is located on John Morris Way near Chestermere Lake.
YELL met with many community groups, such as the local RCMP, the Fire Department and several schools. Each group was asked to paint a few small 6 x 6 pieces of wood, using the paint colors provided. Groups at the Chestermere Public Library and participants of Alberta Art Days also painted many of the panels.
Once 500 squares were finished, the pieces were sent to Calgary mural artist Dean Stanton, who compiled them into five large panels.
Stanton then painted the design overtop using black lines to create one big image, and once it was finished, he brought it back to be installed.
The project was especially well received by Chestermere town council members, who have said that they hope to see more murals make their way into the community in the future.
“Community art is a relatively new experience for Chestermere” said Mayor Patricia Matthews. “Over the past two years we’ve had wonderful projects brought forward by the Urban Beautification Committee.
“This is the first project though from our ever-ambitious youth group and they have done a very thorough job of engaging the community which, of course, produced an excellent mural.”
When asked how the project was started, Hannah Cook, one of the Junior Youth Leaders with YELL, explained that they received a $6,000 grant from the Chestermere Conrich Regional Recreation Board last year for the purpose of creating a community art project.
“After thinking about it, we decided to do a mural where lots of people could participate,” she said. “It was cool to see it all come together and we are excited that we can contribute something awesome to our town.”
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.
