Vancouver, British Columbia demonstrated the importance of community engagement by hosting the first Vancouver Mural Festival Saturday, 20 August, 2016. The Festival was a celebration of public art where local and international artists created more than 35 new and permanent murals along Main Street. In addition, the event was accompanied by a public market, a street festival, musical performances, interactive art exhibits, and more.
One interactive art exhibit involved painting a permanent, yet moveable mural on an RV. The festive RV served as a catalyst for community engagement during the Festival and aims to do so afterwards by traveling to other like-minded festivals and community events.
ArtQuake Collective, an organization who uses large scale murals for community engagement, created and outlined the colorful triangle design featuring a panda head and the phrase “Hug Life”.
During the Festival, Provibers, a non-profit society that “provide[s] support, energy, and people-power for efforts in the community,” encouraged festival attendees to grab a paint brush and paint can to help complete the design. Representatives from Intellitonic, a digital marketing agency dedicated to small businesses and non-profits, were inducted encouraged participation as well. Volunteers from the three organizations dressed in white from head to toe.
The RV mural organizers were pleased to see people of all ages engaging and helping. Additionally, a festival attendee demonstrated “Hug Life” by chalking “FREE HUG ZONE” in front of the RV. He manned the zone for the remainder of the festival and invited hugs from other attendees.
The Provibers also provided a small dance party beneath a sequined umbrella lovingly named Uuntzbrella. They aim to create a large scale Uuntzbrella complete with a juke-box-like music system for Vancouverites to enjoy during the rainy season. They accepted donations in exchange for ice cream sandwiches.
Finally, at the close of the Festival, the RV crossed the border to return home to Bellingham, WA. If you would like to see the Hug Life RV at your next community event, please contact Provibers.
Enjoy the photos below!
Photos by Courtney Rambo, Director at Intellitonic
