Mural pained by Mique Michele at 91 Princess Street. Image: Cherise Letson/Huddle Today
Saint John will have two new public murals by the end of the week as Festival Inspire wraps up its stop in the city.
Festival Inspire was founded in Moncton in 2014 to “activate imagination” in the celebration of all things art in Atlantic Canada. The free, week-long non-profit festival aims to transform the cityscape with murals, live art, music, performance, and more. The festival has been doing a province-wide summer tour.
Festival Inspire arrived in the Port City on July 5 with two murals being painted. One is on the side of 91 Princess Street, a giant turtle painted by Mique Michele. The second is a scene featuring bumblebees and flowers on the side ARCF Saint Jean at 67 Ragged Point Road, painted by Isabelle Leger.
It’s the first time Festival Inspire has help an event in Saint John, but co-founder and executive director Lisa Griffin said the team has been enjoying the city.
“We as a team are constantly looking at what makes a city tick and how it’s designed is super important. How are spaces democratized or made for everyone and how are they used by people? The way the spaces are used in Saint John is really inspiring,” said Griffin.
“Each place in New Brunswick is kind of the same, we’re all New Brunswickers, but totally different at the same time. What Saint John has shown me is there’s a lot going on already, but there’s definitely a desire for participation in things.”
ARCF Saint Jean mural painted by Isabelle Leger. Image: Festival Inspire Facebook page.
Besides the murals, Festival Inspire has been hosting events throughout the week such as live music, workshops, lectures and more. Griffin says though they typically prefer to host events outdoors, the rainy forecast has forced them to find rain venues. But that’s turning out to be a positive thing.
“We’ve had to find a lot of rain venus, which has been great actually because we’re making a lot of partners and friends here in uptown Saint John,” she says. “I already want to come back and I’m not even gone yet.”
Festival Inspire event continues in Saint John through Saturday night, with the murals slated to be completed then as well. After that, the festival will return to its hometown of Moncton from July 12-17.
Cherise Letson is the associate editor of Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
