Ranch Ehrlo Society’s Sport Venture got a facelift.
Sport Venture and the North Central Community Association (NCCA) partnered with artist Andres Araneda to bring beauty to the building.
Andres, an elementary school teacher and visual artist, painted a mural on the east wall of the Sport Venture Library building. The artwork complements murals throughout the neighbourhood, adding to the atmosphere of the North Central community, he said.
“The murals bring a new dynamic to the neighbourhood. Everyone has this idea of North Central being a ‘bad’ or a dangerous place, and I think this helps bring out the hidden beauty of the area,” said Andres. “I hope these murals bring pride to people living and working in the area because it is an important part of the city that shouldn’t be ignored.”
“We want to beautify the neighbourhood,” agreed Michael Parker, NCCA special projects coordinator. “We really believe in the principles of crime prevention through environmental design.”
The Sport Venture mural project is made possible by cooperation and funding made available through the NCCA Go Green program. Go Green generates revenue through a contract between the NCCA, Saskatchewan Rough Riders, and the City of Regina. The agreement affords NCCA the opportunity to hire approximately 50 people to collect cans; the revenue from these cans is then reinvested in the North Central community.
“Sport Venture is a huge asset to our community with their lending library and programming,” explained Michael. “It is right on 5th Avenue which is an important, high-traffic area.”
Sport Venture manager Laura Logan said it’s critical that community groups band together for the betterment and improvement of their neighbourhood.
“We need to collaborate in order to create a stronger and healthier neighbourhood,” she said, from her office at Sport Venture. “One agency
alone can make a small difference but as a united front the message is stronger.”
The concept of the mural was conceived collectively by NCCA, Sport Venture, and Andres. The concept, said Andres, was organically inspired by the space and location of the building.
“It’s a basketball court so it seemed appropriate to have a basketball-focused mural,” he said. “It will be coherent with the atmosphere of the space.”
“Our basketball court is used on a regular basis by community members at all times of the day and night,” she explained. “It is a place where families can get together and teach their kids how to play; young people can come late at night and engage in positive recreation as opposed to criminal activity; or people can use the court to practice or get rid of any frustrations.”
Sport Venture is in the heart of the North Central neighbourhood, offering community outreach programs that aim to provide inner-city youth and families with access to recreation programs by reducing barriers.
The North Central Community is one of the largest inner city neighbourhoods in Regina with a population of over 12,000 people, 4,300 homes and over 200 businesses.
The official unveiling date was Sept. 28th during Culture Days.
For more information and photos of all North Central murals (with a detailed map) visit www.nccaregina.ca/north_central_murals/.
