Famous downtown mural will remain, says city councillor
Posted Aug 12, 2020 12:34 pm.
Last Updated Aug 13, 2020 6:30 am.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – An iconic mural in downtown Calgary will no longer be replaced with one honouring the Black Lives Matter movement.
Ward 13 Councillor Diane Colley-Urquhart told 660 NEWS many people were outraged with the original plan to take down the “Giving Wings” mural supporting the Calgary Urban Project Society (CUPS).
The artwork has been a staple in downtown Calgary for over 20 years.
“That mural means a lot to a lot of people that were personally impacted and helped by CUPS. More than that, this is really unfair to the Black artists in Calgary. Black Lives Matter doesn’t need this controversy either.”
I am very pleased with the community pressure and voices that have come to the defense of the Giving Wings mural downtown which will now will remain, and the BLM mural will find a new location. Thanks to all for contacting me to ask I raise this on their behalf.
— Di Colley-Urquhart (@BigRedyyc) August 12, 2020
She added on Tuesday night she received an email saying the CUPS mural will not be repainted.
Thousands have already signed a petition calling for the proposed mural to be painted elsewhere.
“With the current state of the world and the misinformation that has been spread about the BLM movement, we believe this location choice only adds to the chaos,” the petition reads.
“The act of covering a historical and racially inclusive mural about disenfranchised Calgarians with one that only directly recognizes one group is a contradiction of what the BLM movement stands for.”
The proposal for the mural came to council on July 15 at the request of Councillor Evan Woolley. Colley-Urquhart was the only councillor who opposed the notice of motion.
“We shouldn’t have gone forward with this project anyway in the midst of finalizing the new public art program and what it’s going to be. The last thing in the world the public art program needs is more controversy.”
Right now, there’s no word on where the proposed Black Lives Matter mural will be painted.
