Blanketing the City IV: Cathedral Square Mural Unveiled on National Indigenous Peoples Day

Blanketing the City IV: Cathedral Square Mural Unveiled on National Indigenous Peoples Day

QuadReal supports Blanketing the City and Vancouver Mural Festival in highlighting Coast Salish art at downtown Vancouver park

The Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF) has announced the first large-scale, semi-permanent public art collaboration between acclaimed weaving artists from the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl’ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations in over 200 years.

Produced by VMF, Blanketing the City is a public art mural series by xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) weaver and graphic designer Debra Sparrow (ΘƏLIΧʷƏLʷƏT). For Blanketing the City IV: Cathedral Square, the latest project in the series, Debra invited master weavers Chief Janice George (Sḵwxwú7mesh) and Angela George (səlilwətaɬ) to collaborate on colourful mural designs which blanket seven structures in Cathedral Square Park located in downtown Vancouver. The project was completed on June 21, 2021, National Indigenous Peoples Day.

QuadReal is proud to be a Presenting Sponsor of Blanketing the City IV: Cathedral Square. The park and its new murals are located within one city block from The Post, one of the most ambitious heritage redevelopments in Canada. Cathedral Square Park is one of several permanent structures designed by Canadian architect Bruno Freschi for Expo 86. Transformed with interconnected mural designs highlighting the visual culture of three local nations, today it serves as a revitalized and welcoming space in the heart of downtown Vancouver where people across generations, cultures and communities can connect with and build a deeper understanding of our collective history.

Click here to learn more about the project on VMF’s website.

Artist’s rendering: Gabriel Hall