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As we talk about public art in Welland it’s time to consider those murals from the Festival of Arts that are gone. This was the motivation behind a recent exhibition at the Welland Historical Museum titled Gone But Never Forgotten: A Look At Welland’s Outdoor Murals.
GREG GARAND | LIFT BRIDGES (also known as BRIDGES UP AND DOWN) 1988 (formerly located at 31 West Main Street, Welland, ON)
Greg Garand studied at OCAD, later working as an illustrator / graphic designer in Toronto and moved to PEI in 1991: he’s produced a number of murals: most notably when he was commissioned to paint five historical murals for the city of Summerside (1997-2002).
From his site: ‘“My work is my immediate response to what I see around me; there’s not much time to ponder and reflect. I just get absorbed in what is in front of me.” More about this artist can be seen here: https://www.greggarand.ca/
We only have one image to offer here, but it’s a fine one that not only places the work in a physical sense of the city, and the landscape that inspired Garand’s mural, but also shows how dynamic and exciting many of these – now lost – murals were, as part of the city of Welland’s cultural landscape. Garand’s use of colour is influenced by the Group of Seven, and this scene “depicts the canal prior to the completion of the by-pass to the east, when ships from around the world passed through the heart of the city.”
This mural was removed by the property owner: the reason given was “water issues” with the wall. At the time, the city “denied ownership” – as happened recently with Ross Beard’s Towpath mural.
This mural – and many others – offer a warning about how cultural initiatives are fragile, and require commitment and respect from the various stakeholders, as once they’re gone, it is disheartening to consider what is lost.
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