Big Country Art Painted On Silos

Big Country Art Painted On Silos AG WORLD The Canadian federal government paid $150 000 to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary in a big way by hiring artists to paint murals on 30 to 80-ft tall silos Jennifer Larocque proposed the idea for Ontario’s Prescott-Russell region after seeing a graffiti-covered castle in Scotland   “I thought silos could be an amazing canvas for artists and celebrate what the region is all about It’s a perfect way to celebrate the area and bring in art and create a unique experience ” she explains She credits teamwork from local community members organizations and ASHOP an international urban art agency that she hired as the artistic co-producer Though the artists specialize in graffiti and street art they are experienced in painting high and large-scale projects   “Every artist worked differently ” Larocque says “The young farmer was based on a photo and spray painted because of the wires on the outside of the silo The young girl with the eagle was done by a grid Another team projected ”   Because silos are round projecting the image wasn’t without challenge but all the artists figured out how to work with their 4 000-sq ft “dimensional canvas ” ASHOP thoroughly washed the concrete silos and supplied the artists with high quality exterior paints Artists were paid $8 000/silo for the completion of the work within a maximum of 4 weeks including time for collaborative planning with silo owners and local artists who led workshops with the community on the themes to be depicted   They painted by grid and learned to make some details such as the cattails bigger so they could be seen from different angles They also learned to stand back often either by backing up the boom lift they painted from or with one of them going down to the ground and walking away then calling with a cellphone directing the painter up on the silo The 60-ft height didn’t bother them but the wind took them by surprise “Being on farmland at 4 or 5 stories high on windy days made for difficult painting If you dropped anything it was long gone ” says Lacey Jane one of the painters By the end of June five silos were completed and information disseminated about their locations between Montreal and Ottawa Some are on working farms including a former dairy farm that now raises rabbits a horse farm an agritourism farm and a vineyard One of the silos is at a working dairy farm near an ag-related business - a cheese co-op Sites were selected for highway accessibility and the willingness of property owners to welcome visitors   “Producers are loving the opportunity to meet people from across Canada the States and Europe ” Larocque says The project has had a definite economic benefit for some she adds Conservative estimates are 3 000 visitors in the first two months in addition to the more than 22 000 daily commuters who see the silos Check out the website for more information about the artists silos and where they are located   Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Jennifer Larocque 2-107 4th Ave Ottawa Ont Canada K1S 2L1 ph 613 447-6959; www popsilos ca; jen@popsilos ca or Lacey Jane and Layla Folkmann laceyandlaylaart@gmail com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.