There are more than 40 murals in Chemainus, making this town a massive outdoor art gallery.
It should come as no surprise that a town internationally celebrated for its wall-spanning murals is also a hotbed for arts and artists. The main shopping stretch along Chemainus' Willow Street is home to a collection of first-rate galleries.
Chemainus Murals
When a serious slump in the early 1980s threatened to close the MacMillan Bloedel Sawmill, a committee of visionary business people (later dubbed "the group of seven") decided cultivating Chemainus' creativity was the smartest way to secure the town's future. Five murals were unveiled in 1982, and seven more the following year. Among them was Paul Ygartua's now-famous image of three Aboriginal faces, which often appears on souvenirs sold in local gift shops.
Since then, new paintings have appeared on a steady basis, with forestry and sawmill activities a favourite theme. Other pictures capture hockey players on Fuller Lake, the 1908 Chemainus telephone exchange, and such local notables as Edward Shige Yoshida, who started the first Japanese-Canadian Boy Scout troop in Canada. In the fall of 2008, the first in a series of murals dedicated to iconic Vancouver Island artist Emily Carr was unveiled on the side of the Chemainus Theatre.
Mural Tours
Pick up an official mural map at the Chemainus Visitor Centre, and then follow the yellow shoeprints on a self-guided tour. Or for a minimal fee join Isabel Askew, one of the town's first European settlers, on a walking tour that departs thrice daily from the Visitor Centre (Wednesday to Saturday during the summer).
Downtown Galleries
Begin a walking art tour at the Chemainus Theatre's Gallery. This plush space mounts rotating shows by featured artists while also carrying a wide variety of original art, glasswork, sculptures, pottery, and paintings.
On Willow Street, The Pottery Store is a cooperative gallery for the oven-fired creations of regional potters Harriet Hiemstra, John Robertson, Renée Sala, and the duo of Victor and Josée Duffhues.
In Old Town Chemainus at the corner of Laurel Street and Maple Lane, Sheryl Sawchuck's Colour of Life gallery showcases her own vivid paintings and semi-precious jewellery. The artist can often be found creating new work on site.
Visions Art Studio Tour
Several dozen home studios in the Cowichan Valley are open year-round either by appointment or on a schedule of regular hours. Pick up the annually updated Visions brochure at the Visitor Centre. It features a centrespread driving tour map and details on artists from Ladysmith in the north to Mill Bay in the south.
Launched in the mid-80s, the Visions Summer Tour and Sale is a one-stop opportunity in early July to tour many of the valley's home studios. Several stops are in the immediate Chemainus region.
Artfarm
Perhaps the most unique studio in the area is Artfarm, a gallery space situated on a working farm in the countryside southwest of Crofton. Celebrated BC ceramic artist Margit Nellemann utilizes minimal glazing and a whimsical imagination in creating her one-of-a-kind teapots, cups, and bowls here.
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