Chemainus Festival Of Murals Society壁画

Each mural has its own story, and it takes time to walk around.

I found myself in Chemainus recently visiting a friend who recently moved there and discovered the town was known for its murals. I understand the challenge of moving from a one industry (lumber) town to one that generates revenue via tourism and I can see that the murals helped Chemainus succeed in this goal.

While the skill and dedication required to create and maintain the murals and art is impressive, I found the subject matter to gloss over and simplify the history of this place and excessively celebrate the men who created the very industry from which the town is now trying to transition.

Yes, there are a few murals and statues that represent the Indigenous peoples of this place but with no context of how they lived on this land for so long before the brief period of over extraction that the lumber industry represents.

I found the art piece at "Heritage Square" to be especially disturbing as I thought this was the opportunity to reckon with the impact of resource extraction as the two figures sat surrounded by tree stumps, but instead the plaque recounted a story about hunting snipes.

Overall while in Chemainus I felt like I was stepping back in time, to a place that still relies on an oversimplified retelling of history that works to perpetrate the myth of Canada as a peaceful nation of White settlers, along with a couple token Chinese folks, who are doing their darnedest to bring civilization and Christianity to the savages and save them from themselves!

The whole city is art-oriented, and this festival is the greatest symbol. Just walking through the alleys of the town gives you so much joy that you don’t want to leave.

The walking signs on the ground could be confusing, i think that’s because they are partly re-done and in the process, but you can use that as a clear sign to make sure you don’t miss any of the paintings.

Great place. There easy going on rv camping on their streets. A quiet town.

You could spend a few hours finding and photographing the many murals depicting the life and times of the town. Such a unique experience.