The UpLift! Jasper Mural Festival is planning to commission at least two murals for this year’s event, which runs May 10 to May 24.
UpLift! co-founder Logan Ireland explained how organizing had been hampered by uncertainty surrounding Parks Canada’s proposed rules for murals.
“And while we are sorting those out, we were in a bit of a limbo because we didn't know if we're going to be expected to adhere to these rules or not for this year,” Ireland said.
“Happy to say that Parks Canada has trusted us to execute the festival this year like we have in the past, so that that was good news.”
However, this was a two-month process, and Ireland said organizers are now working to get the festival sorted out.
“We are very excited because we have some artists lined up. We’re just trying to flesh out the roster.”
The UpLift! Jasper Mural Festival is a non-profit dedicated to producing and maintaining world-class outdoor murals in the Jasper townsite.
Between three and four murals are usually produced during the festival each year, and the festival also hosts a series of events throughout the month of May.
This year’s artists have yet to been announced.
The goal is to have at least one Indigenous artist and an international artist, but organizers might also get two Canadian artists for a total of four.
The festival has already secured a wall for one of its murals, specifically the north face of the building that houses ATB Financial and Jasper Source for Sports and is adjacent to the Jasper Downtown Hostel.
As for events, the main party will be held May 18 during a rooftop party at Jasper Pizza Place where artists will come to talk about their projects and the community will have video presentations about last year’s murals.
With UpLift! entering its third year, Ireland said he was more confident in the festival’s long-term sustainability, noting how their team was growing and they had a grant writer to help them get funding.
“Now it’s up to us to get more creative with the way that we get funds. The community has already given quite a bit, and so if we can set the bill and be very persistent with grant writing, I think that's going to open up a lot of funding opportunities.”
The festival is hosted in May when it’s not quite the busy summer season but businesses are ready to host visitors.
This essentially helps extend the summer season into May.
“And then the other benefit is that the murals are here and increase year-round tourism," Ireland said.
“We’re just another piece of the puzzle. If someone's deciding whether they should go to Jasper or Banff, for example, we feel the murals just give another added push no matter what time of year it is. Whether it’s December or July, someone can use that as motivation to come to town.”
Ireland encouraged the public to continue being positive and supporting sponsors who make the festival and the resulting murals possible.
