MOOSE JAW — City hall’s public art committee has accepted the retirement notice of long-time mural repair artist Grant McLaughlin and has appointed Tonia Vermette to replace him.
During their recent meeting, committee members accepted McLaughlin’s retirement from his annual mural maintenance duties and appointed Vermette as the new artist responsible for inspecting, maintaining and preserving city-controlled murals.
Furthermore, Vermette will work under McLaughlin during this year’s mural repairs, while she will assume full responsibility in 2026.
The committee discussed Vermette’s resumé and reviewed her art portfolio during the meeting, while they also reviewed the resumé and portfolio of another artist who had applied for the mural maintenance role.
“The way I see it, Tonia’s resumé and portfolio are very, very thorough. And if someone is going to be this thorough in trying to get the job, she’ll be thorough with the work,” said chairwoman Yvette Moore. “That’s the way I feel.”
Derek Blais, director of community services, agreed, saying McLaughlin has worked with her before — on a project in Yorkton — and would be comfortable with her taking over.
Meanwhile, Blais said he spoke to McLaughlin recently and the latter confirmed that he is “at that age where a lot of things that he used to be able to do, he just can’t do anymore. So (we’re) very grateful for the work he’s done for us … .”
Continuing, Blais said McLaughlin is willing to work with a new person to share tips and tricks on how best to maintain and repair the community’s 46 city-controlled murals.
Meanwhile, the community services director said he created a chart that lists every mural in the city’s inventory and its location, the year it was installed, the original artist(s), the owner, the dimensions, the material on which it’s painted, its condition and its maintenance history.
“So hopefully we can continue to update this document throughout the years as the maintenance occurs, so we have a good understanding of where we sit,” Blais remarked.
Continuing, Blais said he and McLaughlin had not yet conducted a full inspection of every mural, something they do annually. However, that is something the latter plans to do with Vermette in July and August, while they will complete any necessary maintenance in September.
“Overall, I think a lot of the murals are in great shape, (while) there are a few identified as fair,” Blais said, noting the “Air Force Blue” mural at 112 First Avenue Northeast needs touching up since it’s fading and has graffiti.
Besides that mural, other ones in fair condition that McLaughlin could address this year include “The Lady and the Cow” at 602 Main Street North, “Driving Through the Years” at 80 Caribou Street West, “The Jewels and the Royals” at 145 Ross Street East and “Tribute to Victoria School” at 175 First Avenue Northeast.
Coun. Heather Eby pointed out that “The Lady and the Cow” is in a back alley, which she thought would be “so tricky” to repair because of overhead power lines.
Continuing, Eby said Blais works hard for the committee by reviewing every mural annually, which takes away from his other duties. She thought reviewing the murals yearly should be the committee’s responsibility instead of administration; that could be something that occurs next year.
Blais replied that he spoke to McLaughlin about repairing “The Lady and the Cow” mural, with the artist suggesting that the artwork be replicated on panels so they can be moved if necessary. Moreover, that would negate the need for having ladders near the power lines.
In the past, SaskPower has turned off the power in those lines so McLaughlin could fix the mural, with the Crown corporation cutting the power when it didn’t affect businesses, Blais added.
The committee then agreed to allocate up to $7,5000 for this year’s mural maintenance and restoration projects, while it ordered city administration to provide an updated mural maintenance report once this year’s repair program is completed.
The next public art committee meeting is in September.
