Local artist seeking public art policy in Vernon, city says council would need to establish one

Local artist seeking public art policy in Vernon, city says council would need to establish one – Vernon News

August 29, 20242 Mins Read

Photo: Chelsey Mutter

The City of Vernon has confirmed it no longer has a visual arts policy.

City spokesperson Carolyn Baldridge confirmed to Castanet that the policy ended when the Public Art Advisory Committee disbanded in 2009.

Current murals in the downtown are managed through agreements with the Downtown Vernon Association and individual property owners where the murals are located. Baldridge says the city is not involved in these agreements.

The city regulates murals through the sign bylaw which requires mural proposals to be reviewed and approved by city council.

The information comes after Michelle Loughery, lead artist for most of the murals throughout the city, said she was notified of the Caetani mural being taken down. Loughery is calling for a new public art policy to better maintain and handle murals through the city. Something not totally off the table, according to Baldridge.

“Creating a new policy would require council to establish a new Public Art Advisory Committee,” said Baldridge in an email.

At the July 12, 2023 Vernon council meeting, the city’s elected officials seem to want a new policy established.

At that meeting, council discussed a new mural proposal going up on the back wall of the Service Canada building on 30th Avenue. The discussion prompted Coun. Kelly Fehr to ask about policy discussion “around this time last year” surrounding murals.

At the time, CAO Patti Bridal confirmed council had directed administration to look at a public art policy in spring/summer 2022, clarifying that Service Canada mural was something different.

“What came out of that is a council directive that we should look at a public art policy, not specifically the murals, because this mural is more to do with the sign bylaw, right? Or putting a mural on the side,” said Bridal at the July 12, 2023 meeting.

“So I have actually already added that to council strategic planning list because it was missed last week that we do need to go forward with the public art policy.”

The current council strategic plan does not include mention of a public art nor a visual art policy.

Castanet asked follow up questions about the public art policy and council’s past directive, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.