New colourful crosswalks bring art and community to Memorial Peace Park

The City of Maple Ridge announced Oct. 9 that two new public-art crosswalks at Memorial Peace Park are complete. Created by Maple Ridge Artist in Residence Colleen Brown, the pair is titled See You At The Park. The vibrant designs reflect the energy, colour and movement of one of the city’s busiest gathering places. The crosswalks welcome people approaching from the north and south and connect residents and visitors with the festivals, markets, concerts and everyday activities held at the park year-round.

The south crosswalk features cheerful spring pinks inspired by flowers and rhododendrons in the park. The north crosswalk uses cool greens inspired by glass on a nearby tower, creating an evening counterpart to the south entrance design.

Brown said Memorial Peace Park brings people together through lively community events. She said the crosswalks reflect the joyful feeling and movement of foot traffic during those events, and that together they celebrate movement, colour and community.

Brown has been one of two Artists in Residence in Maple Ridge since 2023. Primarily a sculptor, she explores how objects and materials relate as a way to express social relationships. Through the program, she has worked with community members of all ages on meaningful arts-based experiences and projects in Maple Ridge. Chad Neufeld, the City’s manager of parks planning and development, said the crosswalks are another way to bring public art into everyday spaces and create unique, welcoming places for residents and visitors.

The Artist in Residence Program gives artists the opportunity to lead arts-based community-engagement projects that build community pride and animate neighbourhoods, public facilities and parks. In exchange for completing a minimum number of approved community-engagement activities, artists receive live-work studio space for approximately three years. The City’s Recreation Services department manages the program.

More information about Brown and the program is at MapleRidge.ca/ArtistInResidence (https://www.mapleridge.ca/art-parks-rec/arts-theatre/artist-residence). Details about See You At The Park and other public art in Maple Ridge are at MapleRidge.ca/PublicArt (https://www.mapleridge.ca/art-parks-rec/arts-theatre/public-art/see-you-park).