Jason Stockfish, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter | [email protected]
Running from April 23 until May 8, the first annual UpLift! Jasper Mural Festival will feature four Canadian artists, including Jasper-raised Keenan Sillence.
Brandishing their different styles and mediums, the muralists will transform four bland back-alley walls into four world-class pieces of art.
UpLift! is the brainchild of two Jasper locals, Logan Ireland and Oliver Andrew.
In their sponsorship package, the founders lay out their vision for the festival.
“Our goals are to accentuate the natural beauty of Jasper National Park, provide a platform for diverse cultures to share their experiences, showcase values which our community holds dear, and create a new year-round tourism draw for Jasper,” they stated.
“The Jasper Mural Festival will become a new anchor product for tourism in Jasper, tapping into a new demographic and creating product diversity to offer to the existing demographic.”
Ireland explained that this idea was a shared vision.
“I was running a tour company in Vancouver, and so I got introduced to the street art scene pretty heavily out there,” Ireland said.
“I got to see firsthand how the art was sort of like a Trojan horse.”
“Once the art came into the neighborhood, then there was this tourism boom. They use the art as a vehicle to promote certain ideas and share cultural experiences,” Ireland continued.
When Ireland moved home to Jasper, it wasn’t long before he and Andrew began co-ordinating and breathing life into their creation.
“When I came back to town, Oliver said that they were already thinking of doing a mural (on Jasper Pizza Place’s patio) and we talked to some (others) and there were actually quite a few businesses that already wanted to do these murals, so the feeling was already in the air, and we just became the facilitators,” Ireland said.
The co-founders envision their project as an interactive and immersive festival including tours, where visitors can interact with the artists and watch their pieces come to life.
“It’s really going to blow people out of the water as far as what they think it’s going to be,” Andrew said.
Adding to the festivities will be unveiling parties along the way, including beer gardens and music.
“But really, the point of (the festival) is the longevity of the murals,” Andrew said.
“They’re there year-round, so they drive people here as they become landmarks.”
So far, the festival has eight sponsors.
The murals will adorn the walls of the TGP parking lot (on the Andromeda/Snowdome building), the alley wall of Bear’s Paw Bakery, the rooftop patio of Jasper Pizza Place and the back of the old Chaba Theatre building.
In addition, Tourism Jasper has thrown its weight behind the project.
As for the artists taking part in the festival, Andrew said, “We’re starting pretty strong. We’re proud of the roster.”
Of the four artists, only one has been announced thus far, that being Sillence.
“One thing we’re really excited about is, with Keenan, he’s developing his own style and becoming a really talented artist on his own,” Ireland said.
“But we’ve got him on a wall right next door to the headliner, and we’re glad to be able to kind of facilitate that relationship.”
While the headliner has not yet been announced, Sillence is privy to such information.
“I’m really excited to be in the vicinity where he is painting and get to know him a bit,” Sillence said.
Those who have been inside the aquatic centre over the past couple of years will have noticed a mural on the wall painted by Sillence.
“I’ve always dreamed of putting (a mural) in there, even when I was a little kid doing swimming lessons,” he said.
Regarding his chance to create a piece on the Chaba building that will live for years to come, Sillence’s enthusiasm was evident.
“It’s a crazy opportunity that I get. I’m super excited and nervous. But it’s going to be a good challenge. I really want to nail it.”
Sillence also discussed if he could envision his piece.
“Almost. I have a lot of rough sketches. Much of my process is done graphically. I’ll start out with a small sketch and get a general idea for spacing and the shapes that I want to use, and then I take it onto my drawing pad," he said.
“From there, I work on fine tuning the lines and getting everything pretty precise. Part of my style that I’m still developing is really crisp, clean lines, and I focus on a good use of bright, pastel colours.”
As UpLift! is a newly registered non-profit entity, grant money from governments has not yet come to pass, and so the festival organizers have had to rely solely on funding and in-kind support from the business community in Jasper.
“All of our support so far has come from local businesses, which has been unreal,” Ireland said.
“We are not-for-profit. However, there will be revenue generated from the murals and the events. It just won’t come directly into UpLift! It’ll be spread throughout the town and the businesses that are involved.”
“And so, we’re doing our best to funnel people who come to town for UpLift! to the people who are responsible for making the festival happen,” Ireland added.
The other three artists will be announced by the festival organizers in the future.
