Art Alley, a project envisioned to beautify neglected areas of downtown, co-ordinated by the City of North Battleford and the North Battleford Business Improvement District, had its official unveiling on the south wall of Moon’s Kitchen on Thursday, Aug. 4.
Following a presentation by Steve Woolrich on Art Alley’s successful implementation in Red Deer at the international conference on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design in Calgary, Devin MacAulay of the City of North Battleford, Cst. Jane Kenney of the RCMP and Lisa Kissick, executive director of the BID, brought the project to North Battleford as part of an initiative to decrease vandalism and negative activity. Woolrich, project manager of Art Alley Red Deer, attended the unveiling and says research has determined that investing in art to enhance normally overlooked areas can deter criminal activity.
“The whole idea is to try and create more positive activity in a downtown area. It has a component to it to prevent crime, particularly if there were issues with graffiti,” he says. “We know that murals are very rarely defaced.”
The community response has been positive and, MacAulay says, plans are in store to continue with the revitalization project in alleys located in the downtown area, although no specific locations had been chosen yet.
Although the project has crime prevention in mind, artist contribution is also highlighted.
“It allows artists the opportunity to share their vision and art with the general public and it’s really a great initiative,” says Woolrich.
Artists interested in contributing to future projects can contact organizers through the Art Alley NB Facebook page.
