INNISFAIL – After many months of planning and raising tens of thousands of dollars, the great veterans mural project has begun.
Project organizers are rallying the community to get involved with the mural, which will cover at least 2,074 square feet of the west and south exterior walls of the Innisfail Royal Canadian Legion Branch #104 on Main Street.
The mural project is being spearheaded by well-known Innisfail artist Karen Scarlett.
“I know last year was the first time I ever did a project like this,” said Scarlett of her heritage mural project last year on the south wall of The Coffee Cottage; the site of the town’s original creamery that was built nearly 100 years ago by pioneer W.H. Jackson.
The Coffee Cottage project included more than 250 volunteers doing numerous mural jobs, noted the artist.
“And it was so much fun and the community came out,” added Scarlett. “I think we just had a really great connection that happened for everybody who was on-site, with laughter and having a good time.”
The kick-off party for the legion mural project was held at 5 p.m. on July 10; an event Scarlett hoped would attract dozens of community members to add their own brush strokes to the legion’s naked exterior walls and be part of the start of a creative and heartwarming transformation.
“We have a whole bunch of stencils that we're going to be creating,” said Scarlett. “For the mock-up that I did, I just grabbed pictures of soldiers and veterans from the Internet.
“The legion has so many pictures of people from Innisfail that have served,” she added. “All of the silhouette imagery that we're going to have on the mural is going to be very specific to Innisfail. It’s all going to be Innisfail veterans.”
Scarlett has also invited members of the Innisfail Art Club to participate, which they enthusiastically did last year for the Coffee Cottage project.
"Our club has grown substantially since last year and it would be wonderful for our members to have the opportunity to learn skills necessary to confidently create more public art in Innisfail,” said Wilma Watson, president of the local art club.
In the meantime, the legion started a fundraising campaign last fall to ensure a 2023 summer start for the mural project.
Danny Rieberger, a member of the legion’s executive, said Branch #104 members have so far raised about $30,000 for the project’s $45,000 budget.
“It's enough to get us started. Hopefully, we can generate some interest,” said Rieberger. “That's one of the reasons why we wanted to start the project; to get it out there and let people see it and say, ‘hey, we want to be part of this.”
Even the Town of Innisfail is contributing. Rieberger, a former town councillor, noted the town agreed to pressure-wash the legion building’s exterior walls in preparation for the project’s start.
For Scarlett, the legion mural will be the largest piece of artwork she has undertaken in her long productive career.
“This will definitely be the biggest,” said Scarlett. “We're going to try and just wrap as much paint around the building as we can. It depends on how much steam everybody has when they show up. It will be lots of fun.”
And when its done the project will not only become a lasting legacy for all Innisfail veterans but also an essential beacon of hope and strength for the community’s future.
“Adding a mural to our facade helps honour our past, our veterans and their families but also gives a nod to a bright future,” said Stephen Black, president of the Innisfail legion. “I hope our mural helps attract visitors from across Canada and invites people to share stories about why the legion is an important part of our community.”
