Revitalizing downtown Dartmouth, one mural at a time

A new mural including LED lights will be unveiled later this week at the corner of Portland St. and Victoria Rd.

The art is designed by Philadelphia-based artists David Guinn and Sasha Anistratova, among others.

“We've been getting so many great responses, so many compliments,” says Crystal Garrett with the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission.

Garrett was first drawn to the idea when she came across one of Guinn's similar murals in Philly — the Percy Street Project.

“I said wow, downtown Dartmouth would just really love to have a mural like this,” Garrett tells NEWS 95.7's The Todd Veinotte Show.

When she reached out to Guinn, Garrett was surprised how quickly he responded.

“He wrote back right away he was like, we would love to do a project there,” she explains.

Now the artists are working on the mural, transforming the bland, beige side of a building into an exciting, lively piece of art.

“You probably didn't even notice when you drove by because it used to be a boring, blank, beige wall,” Garrett adds.

Residents of the area hope that the mural will bring light and life into a once dark part of town.

Anistratova, the artist installing the LED lights on the mural, says the original art in Philly did a similar thing there.

“It was a pretty run down alley that didn't have much light or anything,” she explains. “Now even the neighbourhood around there is completely changing to this new life.”

This isn't the first mural in downtown Dartmouth, but it is the first that will include LED lights, which change colour at night.

“There's a computer device that controls the whole light show. That was you can pre-write on the computer and we can change [it] at different times of year,” says Anistratova.

A mock-up of what the mural will look like at night. (Photo via Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission)

The artist's original design has been tweaked to pay homage to the arches, colours, and community of Dartmouth.

“The physical shapes evoke the area around, like the harbour, the skies,” says Anistratova. “And there's also the bold blue and yellow from the former city of Dartmouth's flag.”

The mural is already visible to people who are walking up Portland Street from the water, and the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission has heard nothing but positive feedback.

“I'm not trying to say that this mural is going to change the world, but it's already making a big difference,” says Garrett. “I think that's really going to draw people. Right now, no one really goes there at night.”

Garrett thinks that this mural is adding to the already changing landscape of Dartmouth's downtown, which has seen new businesses spring up in the past few years.

“That first block of Portland Street by the water is completely revitalized. About the past year and a half it's changed completely,” she adds.

The official unveiling of the mural will be at a ceremony on August 16, starting at 7:00 p.m.

“We'll have the Cirque du Soleil promo truck giving out free snow cones and swag, and a DJ will be spinning on site to set the mood,” says Garrett. “Then at 8:45 it will hopefully be dark enough that we'll flick the mural on for good, and have a little confetti shower. Just to share this real celebration with everybody in our community.”