News release - Town of Midland
The laneway mini murals have been installed in Midland’s downtown, as part of the Love Your Laneways project.
Fifty-two mini murals commissioned by the Town and painted by Simcoe County artists were installed in two downtown walkways. Additional murals will be installed at the Harbour.
“It’s great to see the fabulous reinvention of these once-neglected spaces into a bright, inviting entryway to our beautiful downtown,” said Mayor Stewart Strathearn. “This project has been in the works since 2020. We are excited to see it come together with the artwork now installed and look forward to seeing additional enhancements to complete this transformation.”
Work completed as part of the Love Your Laneways project includes:
- The naming of the two downtown walkways with community input.
- Installation of fifty-two 2’x2’ mini murals.
- Vinyl wrapping of the seven-meter boxes on the light posts and the five traffic light pedestal cabinets on King Street featuring artwork created by local elementary and secondary school students.
- Installation of planters, benches, and bike racks.
- Installation of additional lighting.
- Installation of bollards along the laneways is in progress.
In 2020, the Town of Midland commissioned a series of 2’x2’ mini murals to create an outdoor art gallery on the King Street Rejuvenation construction fencing and to welcome shoppers to the downtown during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While originally meant to be a temporary art project, it was decided that these paintings would be permanently installed within the Town.
Additional 2’x2’ mini murals were commissioned in the fall of 2021 to add to the existing collection.
“Our downtown is already special for so many reasons, including the many historical murals that we have. We hope that residents and visitors enjoy the new public art when they shop and dine downtown,” said Karen Mealing, Manager of Culture and Community.
The Love Your Laneways project was funded in part with a grant totalling over $39,000 from the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative.
Images via the Town of Midland
