Richmond Hill 150th anniversary art projects allow people to ‘create bonds with each other’

City celebrates 13 artists who painted murals, storage bunkers

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 17, 2023
Melissa Wallace

The City of Richmond Hill celebrated the talent and creativity of 13 local artists who painted mural projects and storage bunkers in honour of Richmond Hill’s 150th (RH150) anniversary.

The community art installations were made possible thanks to $26,900 in funding from the government of Canada’s Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program, community historical anniversaries programming component, administered by the Department of Canadian Heritage. The funds not only supported the installations, but also the delivery of various other RH150 activities in 2023.

“Artistic and cultural activities are the foundation for healthy, vibrant communities,” said the Honourable Pascale St-Onge, minister of Canadian Heritage. “That’s why our government supports projects that allow people from all walks of life to create bonds with each other.”

The 13 artists are: Chris Perez, Joaquin Varela, Phoebe Lau, Sheryln Hu, Monica Pramanick, Sarah Alinia Ziazi, Natasha Pelley-Smith, Jing Fu, Ruth Toy, Eduardo Diaz Ocampo, Gloria Hope, Robin Hesse and Ghazaleh Rastgar.

“We are very grateful to the Department of Canadian Heritage and the government of Canada for providing us with this grant in support of our RH150 anniversary,” said Mayor David West.

“With this funding, one of the many projects we were able to implement was working with local artists to create 13 murals across our city that capture the community’s past, present and future. These RH150 murals really do a great job at bringing the diversity, culture and spirit of Richmond Hill to life.”

The largest mural was painted during a two-week period by Chris Perez and is featured on an outside wall at the Richmond Green Sports Centre. Watch this video to see how Perez created the 56-foot by 18-foot mural.

“I take great pride in witnessing the exceptional talent and creativity of our local artists on full display through these remarkable murals,” said Majid Jowhari, MP, Richmond Hill. “These works of art not only celebrate the rich history of our city, but also stand as a testament to the unity and cultural diversity that defines our vibrant community.”

For information on RH150 art project locations and on the artists, visit RichmondHill.ca/RH150.