By Nancy Miller Chenier
If you wanted a boost earlier this year when it felt like the pandemic was never going to end, a short walk in the Lowertown neighbourhood east of King Edward Avenue would lift your spirits. The hand-painted banners hanging from balconies and fences conveyed a mixture of much needed cheerful visual messages. They expressed hope/l’espoir, for summer, for rainbows, for butterflies, for sunny days, for love, for positive thinking, and generally for more joy and colour and togetherness in our lives.
During a time when neighbours could not get out to join together in groups, the Lowertown East Residents Committee (LERC) found a way to connect people in the community while respecting the requirement for physical distancing. The goal was to reach out to individuals and families and to give them a way to link with other residents.
Sandra Pilote, LERC committee chair, knew firsthand the benefits of a positive banner message. In early COVID days, a neighbour created a colourful rainbow with the words “We will get through this together/Nous traversons ce défi ensemble!” Still hanging on Sandra’s fence, this inexpensive tarpaulin continues to evoke a happy mood.
So, with the participation of MASC and artist Nicole Belanger, the LERC art banner project was developed and executed using funds from the Community Development Framework (CDF). The CDF aims to build stronger communities, and this project had the clear effect of connecting neighbours and creating a positive space. People stopped to enjoy the creative pieces and ended up talking to anyone nearby. It was a constructive local effort at beautification that weeks later still gives residents a sense of optimism.
The project was small scale but had participation across a range of ages and spaces. As an extra special follow up, LERC allocated some funds to the purchase of T-shirts for the participating children and youth. A volunteer then transferred photographs of the banner-art images to the shirts. So now on any given summer day, there may be a miniature banner walking the streets while the large original continues to hang at its location.
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The Echo sent out a note with a few suggested questions seeking comments from some of the participants. Here are some of the responses we received.
1.Why did you choose to paint what you painted on the banner?
2.Was there a certain colour or part of the banner that you liked the best?
3. Did your friends or neighbours say anything when they saw your banner?
4. Do you think we should have another project like this next year and if so, what ideas do you have for another art project?
Hannah Age 8
I like to draw the sun and the sea because I can use the primary colours a lot. I liked drawing the sea, because I mixed the paint with water and it made it look more like waves. One neighbour said they were going to call our street ‘Smile Street’ because when you turn the corner, you see the banners, and that makes you smile.
Maybe you could hand out air-dry clay, and kids could make sculptures that they could put in the gardens.
Yvette age 11
The theme was hope for our community during Covid. I painted a big sun with long sunbeams on a purple background and wrote 2021 at the bottom. I chose purple because it represents community and contrasts with yellow. I hung the banner on my front door so that people walking, biking or driving by would see our message of hope.
Fahra Age 16
I chose what I would draw, because of the times we live in. Everyone is depressed, everyone is worried and some are losing hope. That’s why I drew beautiful flowers surrounded by dark space. The flowers represent hope and the darkness represents all the bad things that are happening and the Covid -19 problems.
The other image also represents hope and perseverance. I really have hope that one day we will say “we did it”. ALLAH (God) the almighty is always with us.