The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
When Loretta McDermott looks at the concrete walls beneath the Jack Freedman Bridge, she sees past the graffiti. Instead she focuses on what the spray-painted-plagued walls will look like with the colourful murals she hopes will be painted next month. 'We've got tourists coming in, we want to make our (community) look good,' says McDermott. McDermott is program coordinator of Flin Flon's Youth Centre, which has partnered with the NorVA Centre to propose community murals under the bridge. With the aide of grant funding, they plan to hire renowned northern Manitoba artist Jasyn Lucas to work with young people from the Youth Centre to create the murals. 'The youth are pretty excited about it,' McDermott says. There has been talk of a wildlife theme, Lucas' specialty, but no designs have been chosen at this point. In fact, before any paint hits the concrete, city council must give its blessing. Council only received the request Tuesday and required some clarification before reaching a decision. Mike Spencer, manager of that artist's sanctuary known as the NorVA Centre, notes that if the bridge site falls through, another location will be chosen. McDermott says the hope is to start with the bridge, which crosses over Bellevue Avenue, before branching out into other areas of the community. 'There are so many other (sites),' she says. McDermott says the project will engage the youth in the community and allow them to make a positive difference. She says it makes sense to start with the Freedman Bridge because it is both visible and a 'targetted area' for graffiti. Adds Spencer: 'The hope is that it kind of enlivens this space and deters future vandalism.' The Freedman Bridge, sometimes called the Fourth Avenue Bridge, opened in 1999. It was dedicated to long-time former mayor Jack Freedman, who is long deceased. As for Lucas, the 34-year-old artist is no stranger to this area. Born in Flin Flon, he grew up in Thompson, where he still resides. His paintings have received widespread acclaim for depicting the wildlife and scenery of northern Manitoba in vivid and creative ways.
