Transcona wall art is mural of the year
Advertisement
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/07/2019 (1430 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
On June 20, I attended the 2018 mural of the year award presentation.
The award was given for Life Goddess, an aerosol spray painting by Mike Johnston on the side of Sevala’s Ukrainian Deli at 126 Victoria Avenue West.
As Johnston was out of town, a friend accepted the honour on his behalf. An award was also given to Sevala’s and to Transcona BIZ, organizer of the project. Sevala’s also provided a delicious lunch that included perogies, cabbage rolls, and other Ukrainian food.
The ceremony was organized by Bob Buchanan. Nobody appreciates a mural as much as Buchanan and his wife Louise, who founded themuralsofwinnipeg.com in 2003 and keep it up to date on a regular basis.
A total of 33 new murals were completed in Winnipeg in 2018. The winner was chosen by a panel of 30 judges, including a few folks from Transcona: Alex Morrison of Transcona BIZ, Carol Kirkhope and Rob Nykoluk.
Judges included artists, photographers, a reporter, the director of Graffiti Gallery arts programming, a Tourism Winnipeg rep, and others. Life Goddess was chosen the winner not only for its beauty but also for its connection to the building and the Ukrainian heritage of many in Transcona.
A previous Herald article tells the story of Life Goddess — www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/herald/correspondent/Life-Goddess-helps-liven-up-Transcona-493975341.html
Buchanan and his wife took to the streets with a notebook, map and a digital camera in hand on a quest to find all the murals in Winnipeg. Their labour of love took a few months and they found art in the most unexpected places.
Their diligence culminated with the idea of the mural registry.
With assistance from their friend, Bob Bruce, the website was created. You can search for a mural by area, a specific street, or by artist. There are even interactive maps.
Write-ups are included about the artist and other pertinent information. When a mural disappears or is painted over, it is removed from the database but kept on record in the RIP section.
If you are having a “staycation” this summer and looking for something to do, take a walk to see all 28 of Transcona’s murals. If you’re really adventurous, make it a challenge to find all the Winnipeg murals. They really need to be seen in person to fully appreciate their beauty.
Suzanne Hunter is a community correspondent for Transcona.