Building Neighbourhoods Builds Community- Town of Canmore and Bow Valley Connections Centre

In response to the  COVID-19 pandemic, The Town of Canmore wanted to create an opportunity for communities to come together while also creating a monetary opportunity for artists who were impacted by the financial stress of the pandemic. Thus they created the Building Neighbourhoods Builds Community Project. This opportunity allowed artists and communities to apply for the project independently, showcasing their skills, interests, desires and ideas. Selected artists and communities would then be paired to bring their ideas together. Under the guidance and facilitation of an artist, community members would come together to create a project for all of the wider community to see.

I was incredibly grateful to be partnered with an organization close to my heart, The Bow Valley Connections Centre (BVCC). Supporting individuals within the neurodiverse community, the BVCC hosts events, workshops, and activities, which creates a safe and nurturing environment that empowers individuals to make a difference in their community. You can see why I was excited to work with them right?!

The BVCC uses the Canmore Royal Canadian Legion Branch 3, as their home base. With plenty of meeting rooms, and space below the restaurant it is a wonderful location to meet and host activities. The BVCC wanted to create a mural of poppies on the Legions outer wall to thank them for their support and merging of the two communities.

Having family connections with both the Legion and non-profits like the BVCC, I felt incredibly moved to be involved. I collaborated with both groups, throwing around ideas until we landed on one that felt achievable in the brief weather window we had. As an artist facilitator, I wanted to ensure the mural could be painted by the many abilities in our community, while being something the Legion could maintain. I settled on creating stencils that could be used with sponge and paint brushes to accommodate the varying physical and creative skills of the group. By using a variety of applications, each participant had access to a tool that would work best for them.

As a group, we talked about colour, line, and value, getting to practice on paper and tiles before moving onto our wall!

What ensued was a project full of laughter, creativity, messy paint, cold weather, perseverance, empowerment, and friendship.

I will always be grateful to the Town of Canmore, BVCC and Canmore Legion for allowing me to meet so many wonderful personalities!

You can read more about the project by visiting the Rocky Mountain Outlook Article here!