A new partnership between the City of Estevan and the Estevan Arts Council will improve the appearance of the community while celebrating Canada’s milestone birthday.
Rod March, who is the parks manager for the City of Estevan, said it started with the new waste containers that are being added to the pathways and parks in the community.
“The existing trash containment systems that we have in the city are 45-gallon metal drums that have outlived their usefulness,” said March. “Even though they were nice, and had nice artwork done, the reality is they have rusted out, and are no longer functional.
The new bins are blue, which fits with the colour of the city’s branding for the parks, March said. Those bins will have concrete in them so they don’t blow around, and unlike the current garbage cans, they will have lids.
The bins will also be adorned with Canada-themed artwork that were created by local school students and others. Each bin will have one large design affixed to it, and two smaller ones.
A total of 150 decals will be created, a fitting number since this year marks Canada’s 150th birthday.
“I wanted to have them decorated, and that’s where the arts council came into play,” said March. “We just came up with a joint project to have them done in time for the (city’s) Canada 150 event (on June 30).”
March admits he doesn’t have the artistic expertise, so he approached the arts council, who knows a lot more about art than he does. And it created a “great little legacy” for the Canada 150.
Linda Murphy, the visual arts committee chair for the Estevan Arts Council, said when they were approached by March about the Canada 150 project, they wanted to be a part of it.
“He had the great idea with acquiring some new waste receptacles for the trails and parks,” said Murphy. “Rather than just having a plain old bin, we could fancy it up with some Canada 150 signage.”
The visual arts committee worked with March and approached the schools about participating. The organization took kits that contained 25 decals and a set of Sharpies for the students.
A week later, they picked up the kits with all of the “wonderful artwork,” said Murphy.
The completed decals were then applied to garbage bins for the Canada 150 celebration on June 30, giving the public a sneak peak of what the bins will look like.
Also on June 30, the arts council held an open house inside their craft room at the Estevan Leisure Centre, so that anyone who wanted to colour or create a decal could do so, and explain why they love Canada.
“We probably got another 30 or 40 decals with that, so it’s been a really good joint project,” said Murphy.
She noted adults completed decals at the June 30 event as well.
About 80 per cent of the 150 decals are finished, March said.
“This was a great joint project,” said March. “This was one of the Canada 150 projects we wanted to do.”
Some of the decals contain inspirational messages about their love of Canada.
“We’re so pleased with the talent of so many people out there, and their imagination, and some beautiful artwork,” said March.
People view Canada as a diverse nation, and March said it shows in the artwork that was created, because there is a diverse spectrum, but all of the designs turned out great.
He was particularly pleased to see that a group of kids depicted their different ethnicities for their submission.
“It captures everything to me,” said March. “But there are so many great ones. When you go through them, you’ll see there are different messages here and there. Some of them are quite funny.”
Murphy, meanwhile, noted one drawing has black silhouettes of buildings, with Estevan’s water tower at the centre. The number 150 is painted in red on the water tower.
Murphy took a photo of each design, and would like to eventually create a collage of all the decals.
The bins were placed in the parks and along the pathways starting on Wednesday. Nearly 50 bins are now in place. The remaining bins will be placed around the city at a later date.
March noted the decals on the bins aren’t just pieces of paper that will lack durability. They are designed to be attached to the garbage cans, and to withstand the weather conditions.
“We’re expecting a lifespan of five to seven years on these decals,” said March.
He added this project is also part of the city’s new affiliation with the Communities in Bloom program. Part of Communities in Bloom involves environmental awareness and community cleanup, and he believes this project fits the bill.
A handful of decals still need to be complete. Murphy and March would like to see a community group step forward to create the last few designs. Anyone who wants to be involved can contact March at 306-634-1816.
