Ready for Up Here? Artists working on murals as festival approaches

Christian Pelletier says Up Here!, the festival he co-founded, is ready to "take ownership of the public space."

Durham Street in downtown Sudbury will be closed to traffic beginning Friday, allowing organizers to lay grass on the road, and set up their three-storey high geodesic dome, a structure that Pelletier sayshas become an attraction in itself.

"Everyone who's seen it has taken thousands of pictures of it, it's gorgeous," Pelletier said. "We party under the dome. We build these physical bars and this physical deejay booth...none of these pop up tents that you can quickly get from a rental shop."

"We're a visual arts festival," he added. "We care about the visual impact that we have on our downtown."

The visual impact of the festival includes murals, including a CBC-sponsored work on Massachusetts Lane, and a mural on the old St. Joseph's hospital by California artist RISK, which when completed will be the largest mural in Canada, Pelletier said.

Pelletier said he's not worried that the Paris Street "eyesore" slated to be a lakeside condominium development may be destroyed one day.

"All art is ephemeral," Pelletier said. "That's why we got RISK. That's why we got his team. They understand that."

"They're born out of the graffiti world, they've moved out of it, but they do massive pieces of contemporary art now, they're not just now tagging buildings and trains, they're far from it, but we got them because they understand the ephemerality of art."

Other murals currently being worked on include the work of Matti Lehtel. on Massachusetts Lane. TRAV MSK, a California-based graffiti and street-art artist, will be painting a mural on Old City Hall on 83 Cedar Street. Callander-based artist Laura Peturson will paint a mural on 159 Louis Street, facing Notre Dame Ave.

To find out more or to purchase tickets to Up Here, visit their website.

CBC Sudbury also wants to hear your storywhich is your favourite mural and why? Send us an email at sudburynews@cbc.ca, or comment below this story, and you'll be entered for a chance to win a CBC prize pack and tickets to the weekend festival.