The Pineroot Mural Festival group will be back again this summer and this time, they’ve got double vision. Instead of producing only one piece like the group did last summer, two large art pieces for public display will be laid out within Flin Flon, including one on Main Street.
Last year saw the arts group produce a new mural along the Perimeter Highway underneath the pipe bridge, depicting a traditional First Nations medicine wheel and a raven.
This year’s canvas for the first piece, said project organizer Danielle Yungwirth, will be the south outside wall of the Flin Flon Public Library, facing the post office. The wall is currently covered in orange paint and is easily visible from Main Street.
A group of local artists was initially set to paint a second mural last summer, but the plan was bumped to this summer after weather and the COVID-19 pandemic screwed up the initial plans.
While the site and the canvas are settled, two key details haven’t yet been figured out - what the mural itself will be and who will design and paint it.
“We will be painting a full mural on the side wall of the building facing the post office and we are looking for artists for this particular mural. Artists can submit a design for the mural, themselves as a painter or both,” said Yungwirth.
A second piece will also be included as part of the festival, according to Yungwirth. The second piece will be carried out through the NorVA Centre and the Wall-to-Wall Manitoba Rural Tour, a Winnipeg-based arts group that oversees the painting of murals and public art across Manitoba. The second piece will consist of a series of panels painted by an artist outside Flin Flon - its exact location has not yet been determined.
While last year’s mural was released to little public fanfare due to COVID-19 protocols, Yungwirth said the group hopes to hold public unveilings for the pieces this summer, either in person or remotely depending on the region and community’s COVID-19 situation.
“We will have to see what the restrictions bring,” said Yungwirth.
More up-to-date information about the project can be found on the Pineroot Mural Festival Facebook page.
