Calgary tunnel mural that deterred graffiti for 5 years has been removed

The pedestrian tunnel under 14th Street through Confederation Park in northwest Calgary used to be illuminated by a colorful mural. It has now been stripped back to the original dull grey.

The only colors in the tunnel Monday were from sparks as city crews removed the last remnants of the art that was painted five years ago.

“For many years the tunnel was perfect,” says Yvonne Brouwers, who regularly walks through Confederation Park.

“Nobody put graffiti over the mural. Then, just recently, we saw graffiti go overboard. We talk about the mural every time we come here and we thought, ‘It’s really sad that there’s graffiti now,'” Brouwers said.

“We loved the mural. It’s beautiful. It’s real art and that’s what made this tunnel special.”

Two murals were created in Confederation Park – one under 14th Street and the other in the 10th Street pedestrian tunnel.

The murals were commissioned by the city as part of the Street Art for Youth program and completed in 2017.

AJA Louden was the lead artist and mentor for this piece.

He led a group of youth in workshops that focused on the tools and techniques of urban muralism and street art.

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The city says this year the mural on 14th Street was vandalized beyond repair, and the decision was made to decommission it. The mural on 10th Street was not damaged.

Louden is neither surprised nor disappointed that his art was covered in graffiti and eventually removed. He said some of his work was inspired by the graffiti that used to be in the tunnel.

“I don’t take it personally at all. It’s just a natural home for that type of art and that type of expression and that’s what that tunnel was full of before we got down there.

“So I really couldn’t take it too personally if people still find it a home to try to be creative, or maybe find an urge to respond to what they’ve already seen on the wall,” Louden said .

According to Julie Yepishina-Geller Cavanagh, the city’s public art liaison, the city said the artworks on the site had a positive impact on the community and “were, for the most part, effective in reducing graffiti”.

“There is definitely a school of thought that those who put graffiti on walls will not put graffiti on other people’s artwork, or for that matter, other people’s graffiti,” said Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong. “So having artwork seems to be a bit of a deterrent.”

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Louden said part of what he likes about street art is that it’s not forever.

“Sometimes our idea of ​​art is that you paint something on the wall and that thing stays exactly as you painted it for the rest of its life. But when you see graffiti or street art, the wall is constantly changing.

“It’s a graffiti art gallery that rotates constantly. I think it’s really exciting and invigorating.”

The city says the murals were commissioned with the intention of having a five-year lifespan and there are no immediate plans for their replacement.

“While we have no current plans for another project in that space, we welcome ideas from members of the community who may want to work with an artist to replace the mural,” Yepishina-Geller Cavanagh said.

“For example, the community association can start a project and the public art team will help connect them with the right people at the city for approval.”

Louden is excited to see what the tunnel will light up down the road.

“I would like to see more spaces like this transformed into opportunities for artists of all kinds to experience painting at scale. Mural painting has now become a very popular movement and artists need a space where they can learn this art form.

“Even just learning how to paint something in that tunnel can be very helpful for young emerging artists,” Louden said.

Back in 2017, he led a group of youth aged 12 to 17 in workshops that focused on the history, culture, tools and techniques of urban muralism and street art.

“I would like to see it continue to be a home for community art, because that’s what that mural was about in the beginning,” Louden said.

“It was me collaborating with a group of youth and a local poet to create something new together.”

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