Peeling murals chip away at Graham's appeal

Winnipeg Free Press

3 days ago

Vibrant murals meant to brighten up Graham Avenue have begun to peel, around a month after artists finished painting them.
Splotches of paint have chipped away from the colourful designs stretching along Graham, between Carlton and Garry streets, after painting wrapped up in the second week of July.
Hayden Hood, who works in the area, said it is disappointing to see some of the colour wear off so quickly, though she isn't sure it makes sense to spend more money to repair it.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
The murals meant to brighten up Graham Avenue have begun to peel only a month after the artists finished painting them.
'It's tough because … I watched a lot of the younger people do the artwork. And, so, I could see the pride in their work … It sucks because it's peeling and it was beautiful artwork,' said Hood.
She expected some challenges are linked to preserving new art on an old street.
'It's a road that … hasn't been (kept up) in a long time. It's cracked … obviously, we can't (easily) redo the surface,' said Hood.
Buses were re-routed from the longtime transit corridor at the end of June, as part of a new primary transit network.
Much of Graham then became a pedestrian-only corridor through a pilot project. The area is now illuminated by large, colourful light fixtures and events are being planned to attract more people downtown.
The murals are a key piece of that effort, funded by a US$100,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The organizer of Cool Streets Winnipeg, which curated the artwork, said the paint began to wear off much sooner than expected.
'As the artistic lead, it's definitely painful to see it already have some wear that we would normally see in a (about a) year (after) this type of installation,' said Stéphane Dorge.
Dorge said several factors contributed to the damage, including a large amount of oil leaked onto the street by buses over decades, a 'lightning speed' installation after buses left, the advanced age of the avenue itself and the fact heavy machinery is still being used to add new elements to the corridor.
'It is a pedestrian-only street but there's been lots of (heavy equipment) … on it … The friction of vehicles definitely also poses a lot more wear than we would typically see when … there is only people walking and biking on it,' said Dorge.
The mural was designed to last about two years, prior to a more permanent plan for the street, and is slated to be touched up next spring or early summer, he said.
CentreVenture Development Corporation, which took part in the Graham Avenue pilot project, said some city decisions also affected the paint.
'The city prioritized the environment over longevity when it came to the mural … In order to get rid of all the oils from the street, they would have needed to use powerful chemicals, some solvents …. and they prioritized not putting those chemicals down the sewer,' said Rochelle Squires, the corporation's chief executive officer.
Squires stressed the overall project has seen success.
'People are noticing Graham, people are paying attention and more people are coming downtown,' she said.
In an email, a city spokesman said the paint was meant to offer 'a quick and cost-effective way to create a pedestrian space,' though the past use of the street has interfered with it staying put.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Some of the paint chipped away from the colourful designs stretching along Graham, between Carlton and Garry streets, after painting wrapped up in the second week of July.
'The paint peeling is the result of 20-plus years of heavy use by large vehicles on Graham … The amount of embedded oil in the concrete remains high due to all the buses that previously operated on the road,' wrote spokesman Adam Campbell.
The statement confirmed the city did opt against chemical treatment, which would have 'added at least a week to the timeline and increased costs and chemical run-off.'
Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of city council's public works committee, said some challenges are to be expected.
'It's a pilot (project). It's a lesson to be learned … They've never really (painted murals), that I'm aware of, on any high-volume street like Graham was,' said Lukes.
She said the accelerated timeline of the project made sense.
'We're trying to do things differently. We're trying to move forward faster on a lot of projects and summer in Winnipeg is short,' said Lukes.
Hood said she misses the bus routes Graham once offered but believes the avenue's transformation is increasing foot traffic.
'It's great because there are a lot more people and that in itself changes the vibe,' she said.
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Matthew Schneider, who also works in the Graham area, said he believes getting more food trucks and events to the area will be key to its success.
'Just to have more street-life stuff, probably, will (have the most) impact in the long run,' said Schneider.
Future events are planned to attract more people to the street, including live music, food trucks and a market set to take place Aug. 22 to 24, to coincide with the Winnipeg Sea Bears Championship Weekend.
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Joyanne PursagaReporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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