‘People need to feel Brandon is home’

A new mural taking shape on the wall of the New System Store at 619 Rosser Ave. invites residents to reflect on the role that newcomers and longtime residents alike play in shaping Brandon.

The large-scale artwork, titled “Building Brandon,” is being created by Brandon artist Miguel Rodriguez as part of the Downtown Outdoor Art Grant, a downtown beautification initiative administered by the Brandon Downtown BIZ.

Rodriguez, who was born in Colombia and has lived in Brandon for about 18 years, said painting murals has been a lifelong passion that began long before he immigrated to Canada.

“This is an invitation for all the communities, all people that live in Brandon, to work together,” he told the Sun. “After almost 20 years of living here, I feel this is my home.”

The mural features a worker kneeling to water a young plant emerging from concrete, symbolizing what Rodriguez described as Brandon’s continual renewal through the contributions of people from many backgrounds.

The worker’s hat incorporates four colours — white, black, yellow and red — representing the diversity of people who now call Brandon home.

“The plant represents the new Brandon reborn from the concrete,” Rodriguez said. “After the immigration of all those cultures, we try to help Brandon be reborn.”

The artwork will inspire residents to take pride in their community and encourage newcomers to see Brandon as home rather than simply a place to pass through, he said.

“We need to work together to make Brandon better,” he said in an interview on Friday. “People need to feel Brandon is home.”

Rodriguez said he chose the wall because it is most visible to pedestrians facing west rather than motorists.

“This one is just for the people who walk downtown,” he said. “It’s an invitation for the people.”

Work on the mural began about three weeks ago, although Rodriguez said he only paints under specific weather conditions. Cloudy days provide the best lighting to accurately judge colours, while extreme heat or cold can affect how paint adheres to the wall, he said.

He expected to complete the mural on Friday by finishing the sky and adding final details.

While weather presents practical challenges, Rodriguez said communicating the mural’s deeper meaning is the greatest test.

“Some people just see, ‘OK, that’s nice,’” he said. “Others try to find the message behind the image.”

He said colourful public art can also brighten the city’s long winters.

“When the mural is colourful, even in wintertime, it helps people feel something about downtown,” he said. “It helps people keep hope.”

Downtown BIZ executive director Emmy Sanderson said Rodriguez’s work is one of 11 public art projects being installed downtown this summer through the Downtown Outdoor Art Grant.

The program is funded by the City of Brandon, with additional support from the Brandon Area Community Foundation for protective coatings and other project expenses, while the Downtown BIZ administers the initiative.

The City of Brandon contributes $25,000 annually toward the grant program, while the Brandon Area Community Foundation provided nearly $20,000 last year to support protective coatings and other project costs. Individual projects vary widely in cost, ranging from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on their scope, Sanderson said.

“The objective is to bring more public art into the downtown,” she told the Sun. “It’s to bring new interest and life and colour and beautification to downtown.”

The program encourages artwork that is engaging, meaningful and inclusive while reflecting Brandon’s diverse cultural heritage, history or future.

Rather than assigning themes, a committee of local artists reviews applications based on established criteria, she said.

Sanderson said Rodriguez’s mural has already become an interactive attraction, with passersby posing beneath the painted watering can for photographs.

“It’s art that people want to engage with,” she said.

The growing collection of murals is also attracting visitors.

Sanderson said the Downtown BIZ’s visitor maps now include a mural guide, encouraging people to explore downtown on foot.

“I’ve actually run into multiple tourists coming downtown to check out the murals,” she said. “This is giving us a more robust inventory to beautify spaces and give people something to come downtown and explore.”

She said feedback from the public has been overwhelmingly positive.

“It’s been a really positive initiative,” she said. “We’ve gotten a ton of positive feedback from the community. It’s really neat to see people posting about it on social media, asking questions and going downtown to see the artwork. We think it’s having a very positive impact on the downtown.”

» aodutola@brandonsun.com

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