Peter & Karen Pecksen

Vernon Street Art

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peterpecksen
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We had the opportunity to spend a quiet Saturday wandering around the downtown centre of Vernon, British Columbia. No better way of maximizing the enjoyment than to check out the cities vibrant street art scene. It appears that about 20 years ago the city adopted a program of showcasing its heritage and encouraging pedestrian traffic in the core. All I can say is, job well done.

When Europeans first arrived in the Okanagan Valley it wasn’t wine and fruit that drove business, but ranching.
I was very impressed with the size of the mural recognizing the military and their contributions to the war efforts in both World Wars.
They also didn’t shy away from the less illustrious parts of history like the internment programs that also took place in the region during the World Wars.

It was wonderful to see the quality of the murals and just as importantly the obvious maintenance of them to keep them looking so good. If you ever want to do the self guided tour definitely do it on a weekend as there are hardly any parked cars obscuring the murals and when you step off the curb to get a better view there are far fewer cars you have to avoid.

We walked into one alleyway and had a bit of a flashback to Georgetown, Malaysia with street art there.
It was neat to see one highlighting the area we are staying in. The hill our current house sit is located on is predominantly clay (hence the main road, Pottery Road). The area this fellow set up his studio in.
The one winter setting, commemorating the growth of Silver Star and the nordic clubs in the region.
Some fantastic visual effects in some of the murals. Such a wonderful experience seeing the variety of styles around town.
The walk was topped off when we stumbled upon some artists working on a new creation on one of the buildings. Very cool to observe.

Kudos to the people of Vernon for supporting this program. For us, it puts Vernon, BC in the ranks of Georgetown, Malaysia and Melbourne, Australia for quality public art that anyone can enjoy. There are around 30 murals to explore so be sure to give yourself at least a couple of hours to wander and to top it off there are tons of coffee shops to stop, rest, and refresh at.

Well done Vernon.

Comments

3 responses to “Vernon Street Art”

  1. Coral Avatar
    Coral

    We haven’t visited Vernon for probably 30 years since we mostly drive past along highway one, and we weren’t aware of this mural focus. We’ll have to change that soon. Those motorcycle ones sure do conjure memories of Georgetown!

    Reply
  2. Mike Dingle Avatar
    Mike Dingle

    We arrive in Penticton tomorrow
    We will be there till Sept so if you are in the area pop in you are most welcome

    Reply
  3. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Awesome Peter. Keep it coming!! Haha all the best!!

    Reply

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