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Art that no one owns

Sarah King-Gold has never worked in a place as public as Elgin Street. The local artist said creating a mural on the back of Village International was as much a performance as it was an artistic creation.
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Sarah King-Gold recently completed a mural outside Village International. The piece consists of a mosaic as well as a painting. She began the project this summer, and worked through shady parts of the warm days to get it done. Photo by Jenny Jelen.

Sarah King-Gold has never worked in a place as public as Elgin Street. The local artist said creating a mural on the back of Village International was as much a performance as it was an artistic creation.

Village International is a non-profit organization that sells fair-trade crafts and other products from around the world out of its downtown shop.

As she created the mosaic with help from high school students Rita Luopa and Amber Hanna, she had people stopping to admire the work and ask about it, which was part of the reason for creating it.

“(Village International) wanted it to be reflective of who they are, but not with their name or not too obvious that it would be (for them),” King-Gold explained while she put the final layer of sealant onto the wall.

“Some people don't recognize it as the Earth at first,” King-Gold said, but most recognize the scene once they take a step back.

The piece consists of a mosaic, made with pieces of glass and plates, as well as painting depicting human diversity sprouting from above the planet.

King-Gold said the hardest part was reflecting a world of diversity through her paint brush.

“We're not just black and white,” she said. “It's hard to represent a whole word with one face.”

King-Gold is known for her portraits that depict the hues in everyone's skin tone that might not be noticeable upon first glimpse.

“We all have many many colours in us,” she said.

To help create a sense of broad diversity, she used different techniques with her brush.

“The people in the back are abstracted,” she explained. “I feel like there's a lot of movement.”

Her quest to illustrate a globe of people has scored a rave review from the manager of Village International.

“I love the finished product,” Pauline Loyer said. “It's gorgeous.”

King-Gold said she hopes the rest of the community will appreciate it as much as Loyer does.

“It is really for the people of Sudbury, and anybody who comes by to enjoy,” she said. “No one person owns it.”

I hope that it's well received,” she added.

To view the mural, stop by Village International. The artwork is located on the Elgin Street side of the building.

-Posted by Heidi Ulrichsen
 


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