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The site where the Towpath mural formerly hung on Niagara Street now features an empty wall and pile of broken pieces that once made up the massive piece of art.
James Takeo wore all black, noting that he was dressed as if this were a funeral when he visited the site where the Towpath mural painted by Ross Beard in the 1980s formerly hung.
For Takeo, a member of the Welland Creatives Network and the City of Welland’s Arts and Culture Advisory Committee, the loss of this mural was deeply upsetting.
“A great public art project that was well loved by the community kind of fell by the wayside. There’s a lot of factors involved in how that happened, and I just think that we have to work hard to ensure this doesn’t happen in the future,” said Takeo.
Before the mural was taken down, the Welland Creatives Network had been working diligently in an effort to “preserve the cultural legacy of the community,” which included working to try and save murals like the Towpath mural.
“We hoped for the best when it came to preserving and possibly relocating the mural, but the condition of the artwork and several other contributing factors tell us a different story,” said Rob Axiak, director of community services for Welland.
Rather than relocating the mural, an art conservator who was consulted about it concluded that the best way to preserve it would be to use “contemporary methods and advance digital technology to reproduce the painting electronically.”
Takeo says that he plans to propose the creation of a task force between the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee and the Heritage Advisory Committee to begin creating procedures to document and maintain public artwork within Welland as soon as possible.
“There’s a lot of public art in the city, and I don’t want to see any of that public art end up in the same fate as these murals that we’re seeing today,” he added.
He says the first step that any group formed to address public art in the city should do is document everything, including photographs and the history of the artwork.
“We can’t keep putting this off. This is something we’ve got to start now,” emphasized Takeo.
In a release following the Towpath mural being taken down, the City of Welland said they plan to take steps similar to what Takeo is suggesting.
“Moving forward, the city will work with the Heritage and Arts and Culture Committees to develop a complete inventory of murals throughout the city, their condition, and develop plans for the sustainability of all public art throughout the city,” wrote city staff in a press release.
Takeo says the sustainability of all public art in Welland is a topic that needs to be discussed, not just the murals.
“What is the lifespan of a public art project? What is the plan for when that lifespan comes to an end? Do we just continue to let it sit there and be forgotten and neglected, or do we replace it?” he questioned.
Groups like the Welland Historical Museum are already taking steps to preserve public art throughout the city.
The Welland Museum curator and archivist were both at the site where the Towpath mural had been torn down sifting through the pieces and “looking to save a piece of Welland’s history,” according to a post on their Facebook page.
The Welland Historical Museum and Welland Creatives Network have also partnered together to form an exhibition of the original maquettes of murals, like the Towpatch mural, across the city.
The exhibit is expected to open by Nov. 4, highlighting the history of both existing murals in Welland, those that are no longer around, like the Towpath mural.
