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Vancouver street art celebrates the Hudson's Bay Company |
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Residents and visitors to downtown Vancouver now have another reason to appreciate the beauty of a city renowned for its spectacular setting. In celebration of its 15th anniversary, the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association has launched an exciting new public art project aimed at beautifying downtown streetscapes. The project involved a collaborative process with DVBIA members and a team of artists to create twelve original tile mosaics - each measuring one square metre, is permanently installed in city sidewalks throughout the DVBIA’s 90-block area. In 2005, working with the support of the City of Vancouver, the DVBIA commissioned accomplished Mosaic Artists – Liz Calvin and Bruce Walther - to spearhead the design and production of the mosaics. |
 As part of the creative process, Liz Calvin and Bruce Walther led interested DVBIA members through a workshop at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Participants were encouraged to explore possible mosaic themes, to develop and intertwine ideas, and to sketch out their designs. Many of the creative ideas generated as part of this collaborative design process were incorporated into the final mosaic images.The finished mosaic art tiles went on public display for the first time at a special exhibit, mounted in the foyer of Park Place, 666 Burrard Street, Vancouver from April 3rd to 13th, 2006.
Eight of the 12 mosaics, sponsored by business leaders, have already been installed in downtown sidewalks. As well as enhancing the pedestrian environment, the mosaics add colourful, new visual elements to downtown streetscapes and create a lasting legacy for all residents and visitors to enjoy. |
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The mosaic sponsored by The Bay is entitled Enterprising Beginnings and is located at the southwest corner of Seymour and West Georgia streets, across the street from the HBC downtown store, in front of the Scotia Bank tower. Here lies a historic tribute to the great Canadian department store of today that began as a trading post for new settlers. Established in 1670, the Hudson’s Bay Company played an integral role in Vancouver’s development, their first store in Vancouver was opened in 1887. In this tile, mosaic artist Liz Calvin chose to reflect the company’s iconic colours of red, yellow and indigo – colours that grace the famousHudson’s Bay wool blanket owned by many a Canadian. In the foreground of this work, a lunch cart awaits hungry workers in a setting from the early twentieth century. This timeless scene is juxtaposed with decorative detail taken from the Corinthian columns gracing the company’s downtown building. For more information about the project and other installations, go to the DVBIA web site For HBC related items on this site. |
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