If you've ever stopped to look at the murals in downtown Chilliwack, this summer is going to give you a lot more to look at.
The Chilliwack Mural Festival has announced the ten artists painting the city's walls between June 15 and August 16, and the lineup is genuinely exciting. More than 1,141 artists applied — a selection rate of less than one per cent — and the ten who made the cut come from five countries.
Three of the artists call the Fraser Valley home. Aysha McConkey is a junior biologist and wildlife illustrator whose work bridges conservation science and visual art. Nina Kroeker is a self-taught artist who has been creating since childhood. And Stan Greene, a Coast Salish and Nez Perce carver based in Chilliwack, is collaborating with Vancouver artist K.C. Hall, grandson of hereditary Chief Irene (Wakas) Brown, on a work rooted in Northwest Coast visual tradition.
The international roster brings perspectives from the Netherlands, France, Germany, and the United States, with themes spanning endangered wildlife, social justice, urban landscapes, and large-scale portraiture.
The announcement comes at a meaningful moment for the festival. Earlier this month, one of Chilliwack's most recognized murals — a portrait of Stó:lō musician and community member Inez Louis, painted in 2020 by Montreal artist Kevin Ledo — was defaced with paint on the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
The Mural Festival was direct: "This mural is more than a portrait or mural to look at. It is a representation of Stó:lō and Indigenous women in our community. The act of vandalizing it was not just damage to paint on a wall, it is a hurtful statement directed at Indigenous women."
The community has rallied to restore it. The Mural Festival and Chilliwack Community Arts Council are fundraising to bring Ledo back from Montreal, covering his travel, accommodations, paint, supplies, insurance, and artist commission. Ledo has confirmed he will return, and any funds raised beyond what's needed will be donated to a cause of Inez Louis's choosing.
The festival wraps up with a free street party on August 14 and 15 at District 1881 and Mill Street, with mural tours and workshops on August 16.
