The town of Bayfield, Ont., is getting a giant splash of colour with its first-ever public art installation.
The two-storey mural on the side of the Bayfield Community Centre and Arena along Jane Street was the design of Meaghan Claire Kehoe, an artist, illustrator and muralist who was selected by a committee of local residents and businesses.
“The committee here was very helpful in helping me understand the vibe they wanted to go for, what was important to them when trying to represent their town,” said Kehoe. “And from there, looking around and popping into shops, getting to see the beach, I came up with the idea.”
The main character of the mural is a great blue heron, standing tall against the backdrop of the sun setting on Lake Huron. A beautiful sweep of colourful clouds blend into a bouquet of indigenous sweet pea flowers which cast the eyes to a way-finding sign pointing the town’s main street.
“The palette was very much inspired by the sunset that you can see from, like Pioneer Park in Bayfield. When you go down there and watch the sunset, it can be absolutely stunning,” she said. “The pinks, the peaches, the purples, the blues of the water. And I really wanted to draw from all those really warm sunset colours and have them come through in this piece.”
Kehoe began the painting on Aug. 22 and says the attention she’s received has been overwhelming.
“I’ve been all over southern Ontario, stayed in different small and larger towns, and Bayfield has been so incredibly welcoming,” she said.
“Everyone stops and gives me thumbs up or asks me questions, and no one holds back on telling me how much they love it here, that’s for sure.”
The painting is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
The mural was made possible by federal funding secured by the County of Huron, which is supporting six public art project across the region. The Bayfield Centre for the Arts was the first to get their installation off the ground.
“I’m personally really super excited about it,” said Leslee Squirrell, president of the Bayfield Centre for the Arts.
“Part of the purpose of the mural is not only to be a beautiful piece of art, but it’s also to help people know how to get to Main Street … Pass this big arena and if they turn right on Charles Street, it’ll take them right to our beautiful heritage Main Street for shopping and restaurants.”
Squirrell said part of the reason the mural is not on the main strip is because of its heritage status.
“Bayfield’s Main Street is actually a heritage district and, as such, would not be allowed for murals to be painted on historic buildings,” she said.
A mural being painted by Meaghan Claire Kehoe on the outside of the Bayfield Community Centre & Arena is the first public art installation in the town.
A call for public art in the county
Rick Sickinger is an economic development officer for the County of Huron, and was instrumental in securing federal funds for the project.
“One of the things that we heard a lot from our communities while we were locked down the previous two years was a huge demand for public art, and I don’t know if that’s because we couldn’t go out to cultural events or if it was because more people were spending time walking around in their communities and looking at the spots where they were going,” said Sickinger.
The county put out a call for expression of interest from artists in July, with the goal of securing all the projects for this summer.
Five other murals are in the works for Clinton, Exeter, Goderich, Seaforth and Wingham. Some of the murals will be completed in the spring of next year.
The mural project will also be turned into a digital interactive called the Virtual Public Art Trail.
