By Charlie Senack
A new black and white mural welcoming visitors to Hintonburg has been painted on the side of Urban Art Collective, a home for urban street artists.
The gallery, which first opened its doors in December 2022, held a “Disrupt” street art festival over two weekends in May and June of this year.
“The festival aimed to celebrate the beauty and diversity of different street art styles and techniques within our community and around the world,” said Urban Art Collective co-founder Lindsay Machinski on their website. “The exciting event brought together [over] 20 talented local artists from various backgrounds to create a unique [and] collaborative street art project.”
Since its opening, Urban Art Collective has hosted galleries for many local artists in its space, and it has launched the Hintonburg Night Market held in its parking lot from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. every Thursday until Oct. 5.
The purpose of Disrupt was also to give more opportunities to street artists who are often overlooked in the traditional art scene.
“The event itself is an incredible opportunity for me,” said Brennan Bovam, an animator for the last 13 years who is now experimenting with street art. “What I like about it and think is cool is that they are inviting people into the scene who don’t know as much about it.”
Elmira Solo, who has been painting for three years and was part of the mural project, said she would like to see more artists collaborating together on larger projects.
“Meeting other artists was amazing. It’s starting to feel like a community,” she said. “It’s really fun. It’s exactly what I want.”
Urban Art Collective can be found at 1088 Somerset St. W. They also sell paintings infused with graffiti aesthetics alongside objects like reclaimed and redecorated vinyl records, skateboards, and rocking horses.
