Murals Tell Us About Canadian Prairie Life in Lacombe, Alberta

Art is a voice. It is used to spread all sorts of messages. Some are loud and proud, others are subtle and mysterious. In the small town of Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, they have used art to bring the past into the present. Touting themselves as Alberta’s ‘mural capital’, Lacombe (population 13k) took it upon themselves to create a reason for people to stop in this small town. The Lacombe Museum <a href="https://lacombemuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Mural-Tour-For-Website.pdf" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">website</a> says this about the project: <blockquote> Downtown Lacombe is full of history. Lacombe is home to the most intact concentration of Edwardian Buildings in Alberta as well as six Designated Provincial Historic Buildings. The City of Lacombe, along with the help of the Lacombe & District Historical Society began the Lacombe Mural Project in 2004 as a way to share even more of the city’s rich history with residents and visitors. Local muralist Tim Giles began with Phase 1 of the project in 2004 on wall space in the alley between 51st Street and 50th Avenue. Phase 1 features nineteen murals of a variety of buildings and scenes from the 1890s to 1910s. In 2009, Phase 2 began in the alley between 49b Avenue and 49c Avenue. These eleven murals show local scenes from the 1930s to 1940s. Two additional murals were added outside of these alleys as well; one on the 52nd Street Mall and another on the north wall of the Yu-Turn building on 50th Street. As of summer 2015, the murals have been restored by other local muralists. </blockquote> <a href="https://medium.com/globetrotters/murals-tell-us-about-canadian-prairie-life-in-lacombe-alberta-d04e63317639">Click Here</a>