There's a new mural in town: the concession building at Barnet Marine Park is now home to a work of art by artist Mihai Darvasa.
The mural celebrates diversity, presenting "larger than life portrait illustrations of many of the cultures that make Burnaby diverse and culturally rich," according to a staff report.
Burnaby council approved a payment of $7,000 for the mural at a meeting Nov. 20.
Coun. Maita Santiago said she appreciated the mural's themes of diversity.
"Every opportunity that we can get as a city to reflect the people that live here is fantastic," Santiago said at the meeting.
"Each face tells a story."
Barnet Marine Park was chosen as a location due to its "history of graffiti vandalism" which requires removals several times a year, said the report.
Murals present "an element of beautification that is generally respected and not vandalized by those in the graffiti subculture," said the report, adding the mural acts as a graffiti deterrent.
Darvasa has created a variety of murals throughout Burnaby and New West.
Burnaby's mural grant program, which was created in 2008, works on a 50 per cent cost-sharing model and contributes up to $7,000 with local businesses and organizations. Mural expenditures are reimbursed after the mural is completed.
The properties eligible for the mural grant have publicly visible walls with a high probability of "illegal graffiti vandalism," according to the report. Funding is given to locations where a mural would likely decrease vandalism and other property crime "through beautification and enhancing livability of the community."
