Retail locations throughout the Vancouver region have been boarded-up to ensure criminals don’t commit breaking & entering. It’s an unknown sight throughout the Vancouver region, which has been prompted after the COVID-19 pandemic infected thousands in the area. This hasn’t stopped various business owners through Downtown Vancouver and its surrounding areas to look at the situation with positive eyes. These business owners have teamed up with local artists to create specialized murals surrounding the coronavirus. These murals often express positive remarks, like thanking domestic healthcare workers or telling civilians to remain positive. Other paintings are informative and tell locals to stay indoors for social distancing.
The Murals of Gratitude Project has officially begun throughout the Vancouver region. It’s being headed by the Gastown Business Improvement Association, who has supplied locations for approved artists to create their murals. An official statement was issued by the GBIA, who expressed that businesses closing their doors can enact positive messages throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s the perfect way to keep customers loyal to their particular brand, as this unique project shows an exceptional level of sentiment towards the unprecedented situation.
The GBIA mentioned that their excitement for this project to enter its completion phases, which will allow Canadians and worldwide civilians to embrace these artistic murals from their respective homes via the internet. Paintings will appeal to millions worldwide, with the stylings and themes being altered depending on which artist is selected. Large percentages of the selected artists have chosen to create murals that centre around the beauty of life and social distancing. They hope it’ll inspire locals to remain indoors for their benefit and societies, ensuring that the beauty of life can be experienced in the short future.
The Beginning
Downtown Vancouver supports a variety of retail locations, including fashion boutiques and coffee cafes. Book stores reminiscent from the early 1900s can be found in Downtown Vancouver, with this extending to a variety of Artistic Shops. This includes Kim Prints, a Custom Art & Framing Shop. The unnamed owner of this location was one of the 1st to board up her retail store. Immediately afterwards, photographers show that this woman was painting a positive mural. It inspired dozens of other shop owners to follow suit.