Meyer's Costumes on Main (Newmarket) to host youth wall mural / Graffiti Art Contest! |
When " The Met" was built, the L shaped Aurora Shopping Centre already existed as an outdoor merchants plaza. The new department store was to be built in the far corner from the existing plaza while sharing a common middle parking area which cemented the "bond" as a plaza. The Met was like the equivalent to a box store today you could say and, likely to stifle any negative publicity surrounding them taking this prominent location and a chunk of the plaza parking, they held an art contest on the fence walls surrounding the construction. Youths were asked to submit a plan for their "spot" I believe and allotted a place on the fence in which to do their art where two of my sisters gained entry, and which I believe my sisters Liz, now a designer of ads for major newspapers, won or placed and I believe won some money. If I recall, Liz posted a Jesus looking skyward and Gail's design looked like a man or a hobo clown peeking into a peep hole to the construction area and both won something. Ha! Although as reported in the old July 1971 edition of the old Era-Banner, Gail tied for 3rd and won the lofty sum of $10, Liz, who won $5 was always the best artist of us kids I think, except maybe Craig the youngest but it would be hard to compare her full basement wall Beatles drawings to Craigy's Star Wars-like art, which he too won at the Aurora Art Show with one year, and recently designed / launched a video game.
Mom Mabel and two sisters Gail and Liz who's artwork made it onto an art contest construction fence back in 1971. They still look the same. |
My daughter Brittany, with a little creative guidance from myself and Artist Fred Joly who provided the cartoonizing mechanism that turned our " Grapes" (actually me impressioning Don Cherry) into an " Uncle Sam Wants You!-Like figure for the poster designed to "recruit" players for a tourney! I've had a lot of people old and young alike comment about the poster and it was very effective with the event filling up with entries in record time this year!
Daughter Brit has talent too |
Why is any of this relevant? Well we're going to help launch a youth mural art contest July 1st open to youth entries only and it brought back all these memories of that fence surrounding Metropolitan and how proud I'd been to go by and see my sisters' artwork there every time I went by it and of my Mom and how amazing she was back then to be able to use her art and make a mountain out of a molehill and a career from nothing.Oh yea sorry, same thing! Ha!
Myer's Costumes on Main's owner, whose wall is to be the mural and who tells me they've been there for 80 years as Newmarket's oldest (family owned?) business, remembers Mabel from over the years - and I myself remember her from riding my bike there as a kid all the way from Aurora, as back then Myer's was the best place around for candy not costumes...and she'd give you a deal too, with everything from Black Cat gum, to wax lips, to black balls and it appears she may need our help now.
The business (and home) has been deluged with graffiti from some "kids" likely, who don't realize that they are intruding not only on an elderly woman's business, but her bread and butter too, as well as potentially her staff's and in turn their families. This, coupled with times as they are, such as town bylaws allowing for temporary use of nearby vacant stores and parking lot type trailer sales of Halloween goods during her busiest season, makes it tough for them right now including having to clean up all the wall graffiti as ordered by the town which her manager was able to do mostly and how long will it last tag free?.
Producing a "cool" piece on that wall will lend itself to being left at peace whilst adding enhancement to the north end of Main St...So we all win!
In order to assist this longtime local independent business woman who's energy levels may be low but not out - and perhaps the youth and even to some town folk who may not see a need for youth having a place to show creative "art" via mural or graffiti-art-like displays - we need to nurture an idea that embraces a solution. As brazen an act as the graffiti was to this victims business, I think by including youth via a contest that allows for a mural art event held on the Main St locations wall, along with some music and hot dogs for sale to the public to raise funds for some worthy causes including a winner's prize, makes for a good day...and society! The winning artist can then lead the design for the final full wall mural which will become the final wall adornment with their signature!
This old now unused bridge has been a hangout for youths at least since I was a kid! |
So what happened to me you ask? Good question! But hey! I did win a contest this year which was a Canada-wide one minute ad contest put on to depict the growing gap in Canada which I entered for P.A.C.C and it won the group $2,000 as voted online as the best. P.A.C.C. then used the funds towards their youth road hockey event. So Yea, maybe we have some promo smarts in this family, but alas, we still need you all to come out and BE AN ARTIST or Donate a Prize or supplies or buy a hot dog, hamburg, bring some music or sound equipment or be a guest dj, jammer, or man a BBQ spot to help pull this off with panache on July 1st - Canada Day!
Make this the stop YOUTH make on Canada Day!@
Visit the website www.tpeproductions.com for entry or media release for more information!