Select a mural from the list to view more information.
Title: A New Wave
Artist: Paloma Dawkins
Location: 373 Main Street
Year Created: 2021
Property Owner: Craig Gerard
Description: I hope that we all reemerge from this pandemic with a renewed sense of hope and clarity, and that is what the water means to me. Nova Scotia has some of the most beautiful Oceanscapes I’ve ever seen and being close to the ocean this year was very healing during isolation. Every wave brings opportunities for cleansing and every tide brings new treasures to the beach!
Title: An Artistic Visionary
Artist: Jaimie & Aaron Peerless
Location: 373 Main Street
Year Created: 2022
Property Owner: Craig Gerard
Description: My artistic connection to this community started back in the 90’s when this whimsical fellow started painting murals around the town. I grew up admiring him and always wanted to have the opportunity to tell stories and create artwork for others to appreciate. Little did I know that 30 years later I would be doing just that, and in my hometown no less!
Title: Annapolis Valley
Artist: Trackside Studios
Location: 325 Main Street
Year Created: 2019
Property Owner: Halifax Properties
Description: The apple blossoms in the mural serve as a nod to when the front of the Cornwallis Inn was covered in vines and the entrance was a beautiful garden.
Title: Bryan Gibson
Artist: Jaimie Peerless
Location: 390 Main Street
Year Created: 2022
Property Owner: Joey Murphy
Description: After 2 plus years of planning, and a lot of help from the community, Jaimie Peerless was pleased to announce the celebration and reveal of her mural which honours the illustrious life and boxing career of local hero Bryan Gibson (Olympian, Coach, and Referee). Erected May 24th, 2022 in the Kentville Public Gardens. The 12 x 24 foot installation can be found on the West facing wall of the Kings Arms Pub by Lew Murphy's (390 Main Street).
Title: DAR mural
Artist: Edwin Hollett
Location: Station Lane
Year Created: 2018
Property Owner: The Whites
Description: The Dominion Atlantic Railway, Kentville (2011, exterior oil paint) is a 60 foot (18.3 metre) mural commemorating the Kentville train station. While this scene of a steam locomotive and its passenger cars pulling in to the station is from the 1930s, the DAR ran for 100 years from 1894 to 1994. Corporate headquarters were in London, UK, and then Montreal, but its operational headquarters were always in Kentville.
Title: Duck Marsh
Artist: Sarah Cannon
Location: 17 Leverett Ave.
Year Created: 2021
Property Owner: Mike Walsh
Description: Duck Marsh depicts a Blue and Green Winged Teal duck in a marsh surrounded by blue joint and spike rush plants. The concept is inspired by a hike at the Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Kentville. Specifically, the work draws from the delight I experienced learning about new types of duck species that pass through the sanctuary. Duck Marsh examines how curiosity and exploration of nature contributes to cultivating positive mental health and well-being.
Title: Family Resurgence
Artist: Lorne Julien
Location: 381 Main Street
Year Created: 2021
Property Owner: Andrew Zebian
Description: I am a Mi’kmaq artist. The concept of the mural includes many elements that tell a story, the story of my people, my story. The orange colour is honouring residential school survivors and all the children who lost their lives. This is the story of all indigenous people in Canada – all our families have been touched. The eagles represent love, the first of the seven sacred teachings. It talks about the strength and protection of family and the need to keep them together and to heal with love. It also shows the medicine wheel which holds many sacred teachings and the embedded double curved design representing the Mi’kmaq people.
Title: Little Thunder and the Stone Canoe
Artist: Alan Syliboy
Location: 37 Cornwallis Street
Year Created: 2021
Property Owner: Kings County Historical Society
Description: When asked what inspired him to paint the mural, Syliboy said he’s been incorporating the story of Little Thunder into his work for many years. The story resonates with him and has served as a source of artistic inspiration because it hasn’t been affected by other cultures.
Title: Lost Dominion
Artist: Justin Fraser-Fong
Location: 245 Main Street
Year Created: 2022
Property Owner: Mike Huntley
Description: The old Dominion Atlantic Railway system reminds me of stories my mother and her sister would tell me about travelling from Yarmouth to Halifax. The stories glorified the journey with epic tales of laughing, playing cards and sharing memories on the coach car. I remember hearing about days stopping in Kentville for shopping, going out to dinner, and having drinks. The tales highlighted how special and essential the railway was in connecting us as Nova Scotians, bringing us in and out of Kentville. There is something powerful about the train – the engine car commands respect in its ability to power a community of travelers.
Title: Malteweknejk, Sarracénie, Northern Pitcher Plant
Artist: Sarah Mosher, Monique Silver, Cameryn Mattie
Location: 26 Aberdeen (behind T.A.N. Coffee)
Year Created: 2022
Property Owner: Safeguard Property
Description: Years ago, Matthew had murals throughout the Annapolis Valley and beyond. He was a very well-known and respected artist who started painting murals around the communities as a way to spread joy through public art. The self-portrait located on this site was one the last remaining mural and was practically faded away from the brick wall. After receiving special permission to paint over the old mural, I thought it was only fitting to create a mural which would honour this great man. Hopefully this piece will inspire a new generation to do what they love and embrace who they are. Matthew told me a few weeks ago that not a lot of people get the privilege of living their truth, and that artists are lucky. Thank you Matthew Cupido for being the gentle breeze that patiently blew a seed through time which grew into this very mural festival.
Title: Memory Lane
Artist: Edwin Hollett
Location: Station Lane
Year Created: 2017
Property Owner: The Whites
Description: You can find this piece on the opposite side of the warehouse wall showing the train station. The mural depicts Kentville as it was at various times over the past 150 years. The mural has 15 panels with 23 scenes of old-time Kentville; most of the scenes show buildings that have long since vanished.
Title: Micro(eco)systems
Artist: Ellen Cere
Location: Kentville Memorial Pool, 125 Park Street
Year Created: 2021
Property Owner: Town of Kentville
Description: Nature plays a fundamental role in everyone’s story. This is a collage of various overlooked elements from our natural community. A diverse ecosystem is the richest.
Title: Sassy Pants
Artist: Celine Gabrielle
Location: 366 Main Street
Year Created: 2021
Property Owner: Safeguard Property
Description: I believe the clothes we wear are a part of our stories. One of my personal role models and style icons is my mom who grew up just around the corner on Highland Avenue. One Saturday morning in the sixties she went to class at Acadia University in a beautifully tailored pantsuit. It was her way to express her feminist rights for equality. Her professor was not amused, made it clear that there was no place for women’s liberation in that class and threw her out! But that didn’t stop my mom from wearing beautifully tailored pantsuits—or being her own woman.
Title: There’s No Place Like Kentville
Artist: Kristen DePalma
Location: 54 Webster Street (around back)
Year Created: 2022
Property Owner: Andrew Zebian
Description: Exploring the small towns of Nova Scotia is one of my favourite things to do – there is something unique about every single one, and that always traces back to the people that live there. Kentville’s connected community contributes to a special sense of place where both residents and visitors feel at home. I want to bring this pride in place to life with a mural that makes people feel connected to Kentville and where they are at that present moment. For fun – see if you can find all the nods to The Wizard of Oz reference hidden in the mural!
Title: Untitled
Artist: Miyoshi Kondo
Location: 395 Main Street
Year Created: 2018
Property Owner: Joey Murphy
Description: Artist Miyoshi Kondo created the mural, measuring eight feet by ten feet, to depict Kentville’s past and present, showcasing buildings that once existed in Kentville and current ones too. The concept for the mural is the history and development of a town, in this case Kentville, represented by the changing architecture. It is a whimsical nod to the past, present and future.
