The site of a late-2019 downtown fire now features the work of a local artist.
A mural featuring multiple colourful panels covers up the blocked-off vacant lot on Main Street downtown.
Amber Livingstone, executive director of Downtown North Bay, says the mural is part of an Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) grant that has allowed for public art to be displayed in the downtown core.
“You find great artists, then bam! You have these small pieces of public art everywhere,” Livingstone said.
The latest mural is made of durable material which can be moved to a different location if needed.
“It’s beautiful,” Livingstone said. “It’s going to stay in good shape for a long time.”
The artwork is done by North Bay-native Sky Marit, who currently lives and works as an artist in Nelson, BC.
Livingstone says the latest mural is one of a handful of projects the Downtown group is planning for this summer.
“We just need the weather to heat up a bit so they can be installed and it’s going to be beautiful,” she said. “I think we’re all in our own little bubble so it’s kind of nice to have these little surprise pops of colour and art come out at you because you don’t always get to see that in your day-to-day life.”
The City of North Bay received over $75,000 in funding for downtown art projects in 2018 through AMO. This has gone toward numerous beautification projects, including the artwork being installed on downtown traffic boxes.
