chART at the Big Draw on October 1st

chART: Public Art Marpole is now involved in the Vancouver Big Draw Festival! Join us October 1st from 10:30-1 to take the art of cross-stitching to a gigantic level! We will create woven works on the chain-link fences around Marpole Oakridge Community Centre. All are welcome to participate in this fun, family-friendly event. Refreshments will be provided!

Big Draw Vancouver, on Saturday, October 1, is a special day when people of all ages across the city gather together and draw! It’s a day to celebrate and explore the creativity that is in us all – no previous experience required. Connect with the power and pleasure of getting in touch with your inner artist at over 40 city-wide, eclectic, and FREE drawing workshops. Visit drawvancouver.com for descriptions of all Big Draw Vancouver workshops.

Coming Fall 2016: WE ARE HERE: A Creative Mapping Project

chART: Public Art Marpole and Emily Carr University of Art + Design are happy to present We Are Here: A Creative Mapping Project by artists Ashley Guindon, Cheryl Lee, Xian Luo, and Simeng Wang. This project has been generously funded by the Marpole BIA and the Neighbourhood Matching Fund.

We Are Here is a multi-layered project that provides opportunities for connection through the production of three related community art projects based on the map of Marpole: a street mural map, a textile map, and a printed map. The mural, based on a map of Marpole, is already complete and spans 68th St. at Granville. Our next step is to produce the stitched and printed maps, and this is where we need the community’s help!

We are funded to do a series of workshops in which Marpole residents will share places with historical, personal, cultural, or environmental significance. Each spot will be marked with a cross-stitched patch, and at the end of the project the artists will combine the patches into one stitched map. We will also document the stories and suggestions shared during the workshops and turn them into a folded paper map, which will be distributed throughout the community. Our aim is to share local histories and recommendations for neighbours and visitors alike!

Stay tuned for updates on workshop dates and times – all are welcome to attend!

Leaves and Fishes Redux

chART Project Manager Ashley Guindon lead a fantastic group of Emily Carr University illustration students and alumni through a repaint of our “Leaves and Fishes” mural at Granville and 67th Street. Thanks to everyone (shout out to  Claudia of the Marpole BIA) who lent a hand to bring this mural back to life in advance of Marpole Summerfest. Weather pending, we will be giving the mural “Fractal” on 66th and Granville a similar uplift. Just another way of giving to our community of Marpole.

Sculptures Growing in the Garden

If you have walked by the Oak Park Fieldhouse lately, you may have noticed some odd happenings in the garden. Our Emily Carr students continue to be very busy building their sculptures for the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. The sculptures are made from recycled plastic bags that are transformed into panels of colour and texture. The frames of the sculptures are bamboo and designed in sections to they can be easily transported to Jericho Beach and assembled on site. It is a fantastic team effort and we have also had a lot of fun. Work can be pleasure. Good thing because these students have really put in the hours!

Hope to see you at the festival!

 

 

chART at Marpole Community Day!

Thanks to everyone who came to visit us during the Marpole Oakridge Community Centre’s Marpole Community Day on June 4!

This year, we were working on We Are Here, a creative community mapping project by artists Simeng Wang, Cheryl Lee, Xian Liu, and Ashley Guindon. This project consists of three mapping projects:

Street Mural Map: Based on a street and topographic map of Marpole, it spans 68th St. at Granville

Stitched Map: Created by the community, for the community, it features stitched patches marking places in the community with historical, personal, cultural, or environmental significance.

Paper Map: Using the community stories and suggestions gathered at community events like Marpole Community Day, the artists will create a paper map with the suggested locations. Anyone will be able to use this handy version of the stitched map to discover their neighbourhood in a new, exciting way!

Thanks to everyone who contributed a patch/story to our stitched map! We look forward to gathering more suggestions at future Marpole events.

Hive of Activity

The field house is buzzing with activity and it is not just the bees in our garden. This summer we are hosting another class from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Together we are creating a series of sculptures for the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. The theme of the work is Micro Patterns of Nature. We are transforming recycled plastic shopping bags into fused plastic material that will serve as the main fabric for the sculptures. The structure will be made from bamboo. When the festival is over, the sculptures will be disassembled and all of the material will be repurposed. Check out the Micro Patterns site to learn more about the project and all the artists involved.

Art and Community Coming Together, Again!

chART Public Art has been working with the Marpole Business Improvement Association (BIA) for five years now, creating public art interventions throughout the community. We have produced several murals, banners, bus shelter wraps, and community projects that have engaged all different aspects of the Marpole community. We have worked with schools, the community centre, non-profit groups, and members of the public. Our latest street mural was produced over the weekend of May 14 and 15 and you can find it on 68th and Granville.

The mural, We Are Here: Marpole, was designed by students from Emily Carr University in a class sponsored by the Marpole BIA, that took place over 2 semesters right here in the field house. To complete the mural, we were fortunate to be able to host two amazing illustrators, Durwin Talon and Guin Thompson, for a short residency at the field house. They helped to make the amazing design a reality on 68th street. It was a real team effort!

This makes our 3rd (!) street mural in Marpole. You can find them along Granville Street at 66th, 67th, and now 68th.

Durwin and Guin also hosted an illustration open house for alumni and students from the Emily Carr illustration major and we had 40 amazing illustrators come to the field house in May. They were drawing everywhere — in the garden, in the house, and in the park. Fuelled on pizza and bad jokes, a great time was had by all. We have such amazing talent here is Vancouver.

Thanks Durwin and Guin for all your hard work and support of the field house. We can’t wait to work with you again next year!