Grant awarded to Powell River Curling Club for mural

Powell River Curling Club in Cranberry has welcomed people of all ages and abilities for more than 60 years.

Leagues and bonspiels had their heydays at rink and the club faced a potential shut down a few years ago. However, the club is again thriving and looking to spruce up the outside of its newly renovated building, due to receiving $8,000 in total from Powell River Community Forest and a Government of BC gaming grant.

With the assistance of Malaspina Art Society and qathet Art Council, the curling club is searching for an artist or artists to complete a mural or installation on the building at 5750 Crown Avenue. 

Past-president and now funding director (grant writer) Don Mitchinson said the club is open to all génres of art and welcomes folks from the qathet region to apply, as well as artists from elsewhere in BC and potentially farther afield. Although, according to the artist call-out submission form “preference will be given to local resident artists.”

The wall to be beautified will be a plaster-coated and prepared cement block wall on the parking lot side of the building. Dimensions of the wall are 20 feet in height and 176 feet in length, although Mitchinson said, “the actual workable area is closer to 150 feet in length when excluding the side entrance canopy.” 

A few years back the club reached out to Powell River Public Library, enquiring about its outside wall mural. The club wanted to know about the submission, vetting and selection process that went along with attaining a suitable mural for the library building. 

For the imagery, we are trying to keep it [possibilities] open,” said Mitchinson. “Community or sense of place, the environment around us, a sense of identity for curling club members, those are just some examples.”

Over the years the wall has been struck with random paint some would call graffiti or vandalism, although at one point local artist Catnip had artwork on the wall.  

“Consideration will be given to all mediums including but not limited to a painted mural(s), metal installation, carving and or wood application, mosaic and banners. Design may be for the full wall or any portion.”  

According to submission guidelines, the successful artwork will fulfill the eligibility and design by: artistic excellence, appropriateness of content relative to the space and theme, and quality and clarity of presentation.

“Powell River Curling Club will be responsible for cleaning and prepping the site for installation,” said Mitchinson. “We are hoping for a start date between August and September of 2023.”

Mitchinson is thankful and hopeful that with the help of art-minded people from qathet Malaspina Art Society and qathet Art Council the submission process will go smoothly. The final decision of what artwork will end up on the wall will be made by a team assembled by the curling club board of directors, including two community members. Submission deadline is June 30, 2023.

Powell River Curling Club has existed since 1955 and maintains a long history of community engagement, and promoting curling as a lifelong activity. A few years back, due to community effort, the club was able to replace its ammonia-based ice-plant to a freon-based one, due to safety concerns. A thorough and needed renovation of the building including installation of solar panels on the roof has been completed.

“We have installed 120 solar panels on the roof with an output of 50,000 annual kWh,” said Mitchinson.

To find out more about the artist call-out. go to qathetart.ca/call-to-artists-powell-river-curling-club-mural