Murals Tell the Stories of the Streets
February 16, 2010
A unique art exhibit is now on display at Edmonton City Hall. Edmontonians experiencing poverty or homelessness contributed words and images to the Street Speaks mural series.
In partnership with the recently formed iPulse youth group, the City of Edmonton Youth Council gave large, blank canvasses to community agencies who invited their clients to participate in the project, with the goal of increasing public awareness of poverty and homeless issues.
“Edmonton’s young people are so thoughtful and conscientious about the issues in our community,” said Mayor Stephen Mandel. “I’m so proud of our Youth Council for their commitment to some of our most marginalized citizens through initiatives like Streets Speak, and I know these murals will help shed light on the lives of those affected by poverty and homelessness.”
“The murals speak for themselves. We’re giving voice to stories that need to be told,” said Kirsten Poon, Chair of the Youth Council’s homelessness subcommittee. “We are honouring the mural painters who had the courage to let us help raise their voices.”
The Youth Council’s mandate includes informing City Council about issues important to youth. They have made raising awareness about homelessness a priority, beginning with their award-winning Heart 2 Art project in 2008, an art contest which challenged K-12 students to depict homelessness. Heart 2 Art culminated in a fundraising gala that raised $110,000 for Boyle Street Community Services. The Streets Speak mural series is a continuation of the awareness campaign.
To illuminate the issues for other youth, the Youth Council invited students from Ross Sheppard High School to visit inner-city agencies, accompanied by tour guides from the United Way. Then they joined the event at City Hall, which featured hip hop performances by the Brothers Grim, Blouty and 2cent. The Homeward Trust was on site selling toques, with the proceeds going to the Housing First program of the Edmonton Committee to End Homelessness.
The exhibit runs until February 27 on the main floor of City Hall.
For more information:
Lyndia Peters
Community Services
| Title | Edmonton Youth Council Coordinator |
|---|---|
| Telephone | 780-496-4938 |
| lyndia.peters@edmonton.ca |
Transforming Edmonton
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
RSS
