One of the proposed Behind the Mask murals (image courtesy of the Vernon Public Art Gallery / City of Vernon)

By Liam Verster

lack of public support

Public opposition leads to rejection of mask mural project

Sep 7, 2022 | 5:00 AM

The Behind the Mask murals will not be installed in the City of Vernon.

The images that depict local residents wearing masks to depict their struggles with mental health have received a lot of public backlash since being proposed in May.

At the regular meeting Monday, Sept. 6, Vernon city council was asked by administration to make a decision to either allow the eight murals to go up at select locations throughout Vernon and provide up to $33,000 for the installation; accept the proposal but take no action; or reject the proposal and relegate the images to just within the Vernon Public Art Gallery (VPAG).

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Council discussed the matter for roughly 55 minutes, going over how there had been an unprecedented amount of letters to council in opposition to the proposal, as well as the fact that a petition of over 4,000 people, more than half of whom signed on as residents of Vernon, called for the proposal to be rejected.

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A motion by Councillor Scott Anderson suggested following the recommendation from administration and accepting the proposal from VPAG but not taking any action. That decision was withdrawn after some discussion as Councillor Kari Gares said it would not be beneficial to leave the gallery without some clear direction.

Council eventually came to the decision to reject the request and relegate the images just to the gallery.

Speaking with Vernon Matters after the meeting, Mayor Victor Cumming said the decision came down to public input.

“The public spoke up, they were absolutely clear when you look, in balance, that the views of the public were quite clear. This was inappropriate and for some people that was because of the size, for some people it was because of the locations, for some people it was because of the number [of murals], for some people it was because of the actual subject,” said Cumming.

“The feedback was varied and extensive, and, in balance, council, after discussion [Monday] afternoon, was clear that they could not support the proposal as presented.”

The project was rejected unanimously by council. Kelly Fehr did make a motion at the start of the discussion to support the project and have the murals installed in Vernon, but his motion was not seconded, and he voted with the majority in the end.

Though the project was rejected Monday, VPAG could still bring the matter back in a new proposal, such as a request for sign bylaw amendments to have images installed on privately-owned buildings, should they find partners willing to display the images.

However, the future of the project remains up in the air.

“We will have to regroup and decide where we move forward from here. It’s uncertain and I’ll have to go speak with the board (of directors) as to whether or not we reapply or if we’ll look at other alternatives,” Dauna Kennedy, executive director of VPAG, told Vernon Matters after the decision was announced.

The proposed Behind the Mask mural project was supported by funds from Canada Council, and as the project may need to be modified, moved, or simply kept in the gallery, that level of support could be affected.

“Until we make a decision on what we’re doing, whether we try to re-come forward to city council or look at some alternative way of displaying these, perhaps outside the city proper, we’ll look at those different alternatives and have a conversation with Canada Council and see what they will accept.”

Cumming also told Vernon Matters there are concerns with how this decision will impact the city and the art gallery’s reputations with the Canadian Council, but said they had to make the “hard decision” that reflected the project’s lack of support from the community.