DUNNVILLE — The Avondale Food Stores on Cedar Street in Dunnville is getting a lot of attention as two murals take form on the sides of the building.
Local artist Gina McIntee, who grew up in the area, said, “I walk by here every morning, and I always wanted to do something on these walls.”
She spoke about the idea with fellow artist Francis Porter, and the pair contacted Janice Hall, the manager of the Avondale location on George Street, who was able to connect them with Larry Stewart, who owns both locations.
McIntee said she, Porter, and Stewart were all interested in how the project could foster community engagement. Stewart invited the artists to put a quote in to do the mural, and soon agreed to the terms, so they got to work.
McIntee and Porter drew inspiration from another initiative they helped found, the Paddles of the Grand art project. Through Paddles of the Grand, several local artists have painted scaled down canoe paddles, many of which have then been purchased and displayed by numerous businesses, individuals, groups, etc.
McIntee said the spirit of “the creativity, and the beautifying and the vibrancy” of the Paddles of the Grand pieces transferred to the new mural, which starts with “water as the foundation” and uses canoe paddle imagery.
“All the paddles (on the mural) incorporate nature and wildlife that’s common to this area. We had asked our community what they would like, so all the animals and insects and fish are all suggestions by the community,” McIntee said. “We wanted vibrant colours, like what Newfoundland does, because it helps with mental health; it’s uplifting, it’s vibrant, it’s happy.”
The project has certainly proved to be inspiring, with a number of community members volunteering their time to help bring it together.
For instance, Carrie King is a local artist who donated some of her time painting, and McIntee’s brother, Chris Wilson, was a “huge volunteer” with the project, she said. Todd Davies and John Huigen were the two main people involved in preparing the walls for painting.
Davies said it took about 60 hours of work “to get the canvas (ready) to get the paddles on.”
He was happy to do it, though.
“Gina and I grew up together as kids,” he said, adding that the neighbourhood children “all came to the store.”
Being able to help make the building an uplifting and eye-catching feature in town “was a very pleasant experience,” he said, adding that many people have stopped by to admire the project’s progress.
McIntee said there were a number of people who visited them while they worked, and shared their memories of the building; in some cases, that provided inspiration for the art.
Several people spoke of when the building was Lynn’s Bakery in the early 1950s, and how the pies would be set to cool on a side windowsill that has since been sealed. McIntee said people told her they could smell the pies up the street. So, one of the paddles painted over the sealed window incorporated a pie into the image, as a nod to that bit of history.
“It’s an old building.… There’s a lot of memories,” McIntee said. “Corner stores are a part of your community, like the hub.”
The community is being invited to come out and celebrate the new art piece on July 30, 2024 starting at 6 p.m. Many community partners are contributing. True Experience is preparing hotdogs, which are being provided by United Association Local 67 Hamilton-Niagara Plumbers, Steamfitters and Welders union. The Salvation Army Community and Family Services Dunnville is providing drinks, and Councillor Patrick O’Neill is providing festive lights for the event.
McIntee hopes that many people will come by to see the murals.
“I feel it could be a tourist attraction; it reflects Dunnville really well,” she said.
