Watch for a Whimsical Garden and community murals planned for Richmond schools


30 April 2021

Get ready to see some public art popping up in a neighbourhood near you over the next year as a Whimsical Garden and a series of four community murals are installed now through June 2022.

Whimsical Garden is part of the 2021 Engaging Artists in Community Program led by community-based artist J Peachy with support by Pat Calihou, Yolanda Weeks, Melissa West Morrison and Tiffany Yang. This project is currently underway and offers grade 4 and 5 students at William Cook Elementary (8600 Cook Road) the opportunity to activate outdoor spaces in their school yard through a series of virtual and outdoor in-person art activities and workshops incorporating Indigenous carving, puppetry and eco-arts. Once complete, the legacy artwork will be installed on the school grounds by June 2022 to be enjoyed by park visitors and neighbourhood residents alike. For more information about this project, visit Creative Cafe Collective.

The four external murals for local schools are part of the City’s Community Mural Program and are expected to be completed this summer. These public artworks will add vibrancy to highly visible public spaces, foster community dialogue and cross-cultural exchange, and engage diverse and multi-generational communities. The schools and artists participating in the Community Mural Program this year are:

  • McMath Secondary School (4251 Garry Street) – Artists Dean and Christina Lauzé will use the natural environment surrounding the school as inspiration.
  • Thompson Elementary School (6211 Forsyth Crescent) – Local artist Fiona Tang will celebrate the school spirit and themes of recreation and play.
  • Tomekichi Homma Elementary School (5100 Brunswick Drive) – Local artist Atheana Picha will explore local Indigenous stories and themes of belonging and community.
  • Westwind Elementary School (11371 Kingfisher Drive) – Artists Dawn Lo and April dela Noche Milne will consider the themes of inclusiveness, play and being together.

All murals will be publicly visible and accessible to passers-by, residents and visitors to the neighbourhood schools.

For more information visit the Richmond Community Mural Program.