Collingwood's downtown murals are getting a facelift. The Collingwood Arts and Culture Advisory Committee has spearheaded a restoration project to repair, clean and restore the ten year old murals. Penny Skelton, Vice Chair of the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee, said that the murals represent the Town of Collingwood's first Public Art Project. "The Arts and Culture Advisory Committee recognizes and understands the need for ongoing maintenance to restore the murals to their original condition. We are the stewards of Collingwood's public art" Skelton added.

Downtown BIA General Manager Sue Nicholson said that the BIA was excited about the original mural launch ten years ago, and remains equally excited about the restoration project. "We certainly support the fact that the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee has invested the money in the program to restore the murals, much the same way as our building owners invest in their property to continue to celebrate the heritage of our downtown" Nicholson added.

Tanya Mazza, Coordinator, Arts and Culture for the Town of Collingwood, says that there are five murals in the downtown, collectively called the Millennium Murals, which are the result of a project conceived and carried out by the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts mural committee from 1998 to 2001. The purpose was to create the unique downtown artwork to beautify Collingwood and to showcase the area's culture and heritage. The Arts and Culture Advisory Committee consulted with Mural Routes, a Toronto non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of wall art as a public art form. "It is a great testament to the Town of Collingwood that they are taking serious steps to maintain the legacy created by the Millennium Murals. The original investment of creativity is enhanced by the restoration project. This sets an excellent standard for all communities that use mural art as a form of public expression" said Karin Eaton, Executive Director of Mural Routes.

Ruth Hurdle is the artist hired to perform the mural restoration work. Hurdle continues to gain recognition and experience in this field. Hurdle's work is in greater demand these days thanks to her ongoing excellent work on recent projects. In fact, Hurdle says that she is now often consulted on restoration work planned for other towns and cities in the province. Hurdle recently completed the restoration of four murals for the Town of Midland.

Restoration work will include "Busy Wagons" by John Hood, located at Hurontario and Second Streets. The mural represents the activity and colour of Collingwood's main street as it might have been in the early 1900's. Ruth will also restore "Ski Train" by Richard Gill, mounted in April 2001 at 86 Hurontario Street. This mural consists of individually hand sculpted clay that was glazed and kiln-fired. It depicts the 1950's "ski train" arriving at Craigleith Station. "Heading Dockside" is a whimsical rendering of workers heading to the Collingwood Shipyards. The Arts and Culture Advisory Committee also has plans to repair the mural known as "Our Community," located on the south wall of the Eddie Bush Arena.
 

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