An idea to decorate a major utilidor line along Duck Lake Road is an excellent idea that should be allowed to pick up momentum with other projects.
Aside from giving local or nearby artists a chance to showcase their skills, public art helps bring communities together with notable landmarks we build memories around. It shows a willingness from the community to beautify the community and create a more aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. It’s been known to increase property values, draw tourists and even drive investment from culturally centred entrepreneurs.
Over the pandemic, the town’s tourism and economic development department has done a fantastic job bringing the town’s artistic spirit to light. From the lantern parade a few weeks ago to the artistic displays at the Great Northern Arts Festival last summer, it’s clear there are many artistic talents in need of a canvas in the area.
Mechanisms are already in place for public scrutiny of just what would be passable as public art or not, with Inuvik Arts Committee able to meet and decide on major public art showcases before they go forward. And there is more than enough utilidor lines, blank building exteriors and open ground space to cover any number of artistic ideas, from murals to sculptures or carvings. All that is lacking is the public will to pick up the brushes, so to speak.
With the NWT hoping to open up to tourism again this year, our operators will be doing everything they can to revive their businesses, but they need all the help they can get. Murals, sculptures and other public displays of creativity around town will be a major asset in bringing tourism back to the community after Covid-19.
Anyone who comes to this town and sees murals, sculptures and other art everywhere will certainly tell others of what they have seen. In a global tourism economy with literally millions of communities clamouring for the same business, word of mouth is the greatest asset a town can have.
Funding public art projects could open up new solutions to other challenges faced by the community as well. In Edmonton, Vancouver and elsewhere, murals have been a helpful way to help homeless people express themselves and access support networks. Survivors of trauma have fought their demons by sealing them away in concrete. People from marginalized cultures have found ways to showcase their world, their struggles and their strengths.
Certainly any art project will be met with public skepticism, but the new Gateway Sign shows the people trying to make Inuvik a more accessible community have an idea of what they’re doing. With both signs acting as bookends to the town, now is the time to trust Inuvik’s artists to tell its story.