INNISFAIL - Mayor Jim Romane will address council at its next meeting about whether the town should make a first-ever public arts policy a priority after learning on Aug. 28 that two of the four major downtown murals depicting Innisfail's pioneer heritage have been painted over and are now gone forever.
Romane said a public arts policy, which he first raised in 2017, is an issue the town should consider looking at, and perhaps asking for input from the Innisfail Arts Council (IAC). He said on Aug. 28 he will bring the issue up at the next town council meeting -- and Agenda and Priorities meeting -- on Sept. 3.
"It would be nice to get them (IAC) involved and looking at some sort of policy, get a little more formal about it. I don't think there has been a lot formally established," said the mayor, who supports the idea of having a public arts policy. "It should be brought to attention on having a policy on public art. It is important to the community to maintain that. I will bring it up with council and we will take it from there."
Todd Becker, the town's CAO, said the town had "no involvement at all" in the process of permanently painting over the two murals, adding it was the sole decision of the owners of the properties.
He noted the town's strategic plan has the development of a cultural master plan scheduled for council discussion in the fall of 2021, a process which would possibly involve consultations with local arts and culture groups.
"Council continuously reviews its strategic plan. We are about to go into a review. Being two years into their (council) term we will see if this priority, which was established about a year and a half ago, remains a lower level priority or whether it would be brought higher up on the priority listing," said Becker. "We have not scoped out this priority at this given time due to it being a low priority compared to the others."
During the weekend of Aug. 24 and 25, the Tribute to the Railroad mural on the west side of the Innisfail Bowling Lanes building was painted over. Around the same time, the exposed viewable portion of the town's centennial mural on the east exterior wall of the soon-to-be-opened Revive Cannabis store near the southwest corner of Main Street and 49th Avenue was also painted over. Both works of art were painted by now retired Didsbury artist Ruth Jepson more than 15 years ago.
"I am very sorry to see them go but that is the way for all things. You can't keep time forever. I am delighted for the ones that have stayed. The train one was not painted to last forever in the first place," said Jepson, acknowledging she knew about the demise of the train mural but was surprised and saddened when told the centennial mural was painted over as well. "I thought that might be worth keeping even though it was out of sight. You could have squeezed between (walls) for a view."
The loss of the two murals leaves two main ones and one smaller work remaining in the historical block of Main Street. They are Jepson's Innisfail Main Street mural on the east side of the walkway between the Lilac & Lace and DVI New & Used stores. The second one is the tribute to Innisfail's fallen country grain elevators and water tower on the west exterior wall of JMM Law Office near the intersection of 51st Avenue and 49th Street. The third is a smaller exterior mural depicting First Nations culture on a fence between Main Street's Barber Shop and Persian House Restaurant.
