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661 Sara Avenue
Location Map
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Location: N side bet. Furby & Langside; East Face
Occupant: Apartment building
District: West End
Neighbourhood: West Broadway
Artist(s): Joël Côté, Robert Loiselle, Alison Ham, Marie Baffoe
Year: 2000
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Jol Ct: "The West Broadway-South Sherbrook BIZ hired me as their student BIZ ambassador
for the summer of 2000. My bosses gave me a few tasks to do for them, but not enough to keep
me occupied all summer. I hinted to them that I wanted to paint a Mural but they didn't take me
too seriously."
"One of the goals I had set out to do that summer with my Urban Green Team crew, Alison Ham
and Marie Baffoe, was to have the graffiti cleaned up in the entire neighbourhood. We also
shared the notion that murals are a great method for preventing graffiti from showing up; so
naturally that's when the idea of painting a Mural was born. The next step was to find a location
and to obtain the necessary permission and sponsorship."
"Earlier in the summer, we had the opportunity to repaint the Canadian flag on top of the house
on the Southeast corner of Sherbrook and Sara. We hoped to paint the southerly wall facing the
traffic on Sherbrook. However, that idea fell through because we tried to involve too many groups
in the planning stage and thus a consensual image could not be found in the short time we had to
plan and to realize this project."
"Walking in the neighbourhood, I happened to cross paths with Robert Loiselle, whom I knew
from days at the Collge universitaire de Saint-Boniface. He happened to live on Langside and
he wanted to get the graffiti removed from the wall of the apartment facing his house."
"I contacted the building owner, Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corporation, regarding our
project. They were looking to clean off the graffiti but they we overjoyed by our proposal to
decorate the exterior of their building. They gave us carte blanche to paint the wall and they
even provided the painting materials for us to use."
"Next step was to decide what to paint. Of the four of us involved in the Mural, only Alison Ham
was an artist. Time was running out and we needed an idea. We decided to bring a more natural
look to the neighbourhood being that we were in the concrete jungle. We opted for the clich
prariescape."
"The final challenge was painting the Mural. None of us have ever painted a Mural before and we
had the added challenge of having to realize it in only 3 days (since our contracts were ending at
that time). We painted frantically, using only four colours, improvising the artwork as we went
along. We didn't consider the hydro pole in our design, but decided that it should be part of the
Mural and give it a more three-dimensional look. As well, there was an autobin that was also
included in the work."
"As we were painting, we noticed that some of the old tenants had etched their names in the
bricks. Names and dates went as far back as the 1930's."
"It was a challenge to paint a canvas 30 meters by 3 meters in only 3 days. Everybody
contributed ideas to improve the wall as we painted. We counted on Alison to show us how to
paint the trees and the clouds."
"Finally, when it was done, we all were satisfied with our work and we all signed the wall. I still
shake my head at myself for signing my name larger than the others (it was an accident-I didn't
have the ability to make it the same size as the other's writing). Alison and Marie were tireless in
painted the mural. Most importantly, they stuck by me and the idea even when it was looking like
it wouldn't happen. The project was truly a group accomplishment. We had evidence of our
summer of work. We added ourselves to the history of the building and to the charm of the
neighbourhood."
Jol Ct and his wife currently live in Ottawa where he works as a civil servant. In an email from
Nov 2003 he had this to say: "Good news-my wife and I are hoping to paint a Mural out here in
Ottawa next spring. Your website has help me rediscover my creative side again. Thanks!"
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