There were four murals painted on walls of buildings in the downtown core of Bradford in 1995, as part of a volunteer-led Downtown Revitalization effort - an effort that also introduced flowering baskets, heritage streetlights, and the Bradford Farmers' Market.
Counc. Peter Dykie Jr., who was on Council at the time, explained that the murals were paid for through sponsorship from local businesses.
“At the end of the day, those murals are very expensive,” he said. “Some of these murals downtown need to be refreshed, but it’s a big project.” He added, "We don't want it to cost taxpayers anything."
Dykie was speaking at Wednesday’s meeting of the Downtown Revitalization Committee, where item 8.5 on the agenda was the topic of ‘Murals.’
“This topic has come up over the past couple of years,” said the town’s Chief Administrative Officer Geoff McKnight. McKnight agreed that murals can add to the character of the downtown – but there are questions of remuneration for the artwork, and the cost of upkeep.
If a mural is placed on a privately-owned building, the owner must be a willing partner, McKnight said. “The municipality can’t force a property owner to do anything,” he noted. There is also the question of who pays for the upkeep: the taxpayer and the municipality; the property owner; or willing sponsors?
Coun. Mark Contois said that one solution to ongoing maintenance would be to use easy-to-remove vinyl on brick walls for any new murals, as is done in Toronto. He also suggested a written agreement, “that we lease the wall for so many years," if murals are painted on privately-owned buildings.
An agreement, he said, could also prevent new owners from painting over existing murals when buildings change hands.
A formal agreement for a specific length of time would be appropriate if the town invests in a mural, agreed McKnight; as for questions of upkeep and eventual removal, “that’s negotiable,” he said.
Committee member Brian Baker proposed placing murals in public meeting spaces, rather than on private property. Looking at downtown Bradford, he asked, “Where do we put it? I don’t think these buildings are going to work.”
Contois disagreed, pointing out that communities like Midland have murals on the sides of privately-owned stores, and the murals have become a tourist attraction.
As for how to move forward, Contois said it was straight-forward: “We just need to find locations, first of all. Second, who does it impact? Thirdly, how do we do this financially? And how many do you want?”
But he suggested that now is not the time to move ahead. “Do you really want to do this before you have all the construction downtown?” Contois asked, recommending leaving the question of murals until after the redesign and reconstruction of Holland Street has been completed.
Other committee members agreed. “It should be part of a conceptual design,” said Cor DenBleker.
Director of Development and Engineering Services Peter Loukes told the committee that the goal of the Holland Street Reconstruction is to help transform Bradford’s downtown into a destination – and public art can definitely play a role.
“What I’m interested in seeing is… pedestrian spaces,” Loukes said. “If we’re trying to create a meeting spot maybe there’s a way to use public art," beyond just murals on walls.
Smoochie’s Cakery owner John Da Silva, who recently closed his storefront on Holland Street, spoke up from the audience. He noted that artwork “does add some pop to it, some visual excitement,” but urged the town to “get the guts down first,” and complete the Holland Street redesign and reconstruction.
Wait until the reconstruction has created a welcoming and pedestrian-friendly area, and there is a stable and thriving downtown, Da Silva said.
“It all comes down to the same thing. Everybody wants to be happy. Everybody wants to be proud of the downtown… The guts have to be done first,” he said.
Where are the four murals? The mural on the east side of the building at 73 Holland St. East by artist Bill Lewochko, depicting recreation in Bradford, is well-maintained. The mural on John Street West, Postcards of Bradford, designed by Angel Lariviere, was repainted by art students from Bradford District High School a few years ago, but is beginning to peel again. The mural on the south side of Holland St. East, depicting the history of Yonge Street, also by Lewochko, was last restored in 2007 but has fallen into disrepair.
And nothing remains of the fourth, a mural of the Holland Marsh formerly on the west wall of the plaza at Holland West and Holland Court. It has been painted over.
