Another municipality may gain the opportunity the City of Vernon passed on to show its residents that expressing their experience with mental health through art can benefit the local economy, culture and community.
That香蕉视频直播檚 the message of the Vernon Public Art Gallery after city council voted Sept. 6 to pull its support, and $33,000 in funding, of the Behind the Mask public art project and exhibition. The gallery香蕉视频直播檚 staff and board of directors are stunned by the city香蕉视频直播檚 decision to back-pedal its support.
香蕉视频直播淭here needs to be a better system for decision-making on public art,香蕉视频直播� said Dauna Kennedy, executive director, Vernon Public Art Gallery. 香蕉视频直播淔ew cities consult the public in the manner proposed by members of council because art is emotive and subjective. Public art is an important means of providing not only beautification to a community but also provoking thought and dialogue through critical works designed to challenge the viewer.香蕉视频直播�
Behind the Mask is a three-part public art project in which eight Vernon residents who have experience around mental health, along with two local supporting professionals, express who they are and how they want the community to view them through masks.
The project participants are people with lived experience who come from a range of backgrounds and were connected to Turning Points Collaborative Society. Their journey of self-exploration and mask-making was guided by Katie Green, a renowned artist-facilitator who specializes in public art projects exploring societal issues. A heart-warming, eye-opening documentary was also filmed to capture the process.
With no public art policy in place, Kennedy says the VPAG had to submit under the sign bylaw to seek approval for the murals. After creating the project outline, in early 2022, the VPAG received the support of the city, Downtown Vernon Association and Social Planning Council before applying for funding through the Canada Council for the Arts.
Prior to the city reversing its decision, the project had reached its funding goals with $55,000 from the Canada Council, $33,000 from the City of Vernon, $10,000 from the Regional District of North Okanagan and $7,500 from Vernon Tourism. The supplies and artist香蕉视频直播檚 fee have already been paid for.
After negative commentary started circulating on social media and sparked an open online petition, the City of Vernon asked the gallery to conduct a public consultation. No guidelines or resources to support were provided by the city. However, the gallery realized with photographs of the murals already being exhibited, it had a special opportunity to help Vernon residents gain a well-rounded understanding of both the art and the people behind the masks before completing the survey.
香蕉视频直播淭he gallery consultation was designed to ensure that whoever participated in the survey had the opportunity to see all the pieces, to read each artist statement and understand the entire process,香蕉视频直播� said Sarah Kennedy, board member. 香蕉视频直播淭his resulted in a much smaller sampling but still sufficient to be representative of the Vernon public. And every type of media was used to invite the public to come to the gallery to participate.香蕉视频直播�
After participants experienced the work in person, 65 per cent of the 353 viewers were in favour of the mural project moving ahead.
The project, Sarah added, would have offered many benefits to the economy, community and culture.
香蕉视频直播淩ecognizing how big of an issue mental health has become because of COVID, we wanted to create a dialogue around mental health using the visual arts as our language, and create awareness in a positive, engaging way,香蕉视频直播� said Dauna.
香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檝e already had a tremendous response from our community and the social services community about why it香蕉视频直播檚 important to shed light on mental health issues, and we saw that as people visited the exhibit, and they really learned about the people behind the masks and the intention and very uplifting outcomes of this public art project, that it did give people a broader perspective.香蕉视频直播�
The gallery will now have to navigate the possibility of having to return grant funds to the Canada Council and compromise its ability to secure future grants.
For a public gallery that in many ways relies on peer-review for its grant applications, the gallery board says it sees this as a serious threat to the gallery香蕉视频直播檚 reputation and damages its ability to secure future grants. Moreover, the failure to follow through on a project already green-lit by Canada Council also impacts the gallery香蕉视频直播檚 ability to apply for operational funding in the future.
香蕉视频直播淐anada Council grants don香蕉视频直播檛 come through every day,香蕉视频直播� said Andrew Powell, gallery president. 香蕉视频直播淭his project would have given us the opportunity to apply for operational funding which would have effectively subsidized the gallery and saved the city money in the long run, especially as we look toward the promise of a new facility. We are unhappy with this decision, to say the least.香蕉视频直播�
After being advised that there was a potential for the city to reverse its position and pull its support, the gallery went back to the city with a recommendation for a scaled-back exhibit that would see only eight murals in locations that fit with the theme and a shortened shelf-life of three years instead of five. This was also turned down.
The gallery has been approached by another community willing to provide space for the mural installations.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 disappointing to see this decision after we did all that we were asked to do and having previously secured the City香蕉视频直播檚 support as well as that of mental health professionals and community groups,香蕉视频直播� says Powell. 香蕉视频直播淭hankfully, other communities have expressed interest in assuming this project and in supporting those with the courage to share their experiences with mental health.香蕉视频直播�
Learn more about the project, the participants, funding and the public art process by visiting the landing page and FAQs at .
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