Local artist Graham Flatt paints the first of hopefully many Faces of Lloydminster on Sunday afternoon at the Legacy DIY Maker Fair and Street Market as Mick Classen looks on. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
What began as an artistic dream is starting to take shape as local artists push to turn the Faces of Lloydminster project into a reality.
Local artist, Mick Classen, came up with the idea to have painted “faces” throughout the Border City some time ago and produced his first face last June.
The face, which is roughly nine feet in diameter and weighs upwards of 400 lbs, was constructed from GFRC (glass fibre reinforced concrete).
Classen explained that GFRC is a special type of concrete that’s impervious to moisture, which is perfect for outdoor art pieces such as the faces.
“I liked the face but I didn’t know what to do with it,” he said.
“Local artist Michelle Lake said she was interested in painting one of the faces, and it was actually her husband who gave us the idea to somewhat replicate what they did in Calgary with the cows.
“They had 72 cows, all painted by different artists, and I thought something like that would be a cool idea for us here.”
Classen wasn’t sure about producing 72 faces, but after posting about the project on the Lloydminster & Area Artists, Artisans And Creatives’ Facebook page, it wasn’t long before he had 27 artists lined up to paint a face of their own.
Classen also presented the project to the Lloydminster Public Arts Advisory Committee and is awaiting to hear back for approval.
To get the project off the ground, Classen needed more than just artists and City approval, and that’s when the community stepped up.
“Mayor Gerald Aalbers actually told me I should contact Residents in Recovery, so I got a hold of their director, Tyler Lorenz, and told him what I had planned,” he said. “He told me we could use some of the space at Residents in Recovery, so now we have a spot to build the faces, and what a gift that was.”
With a place to build the faces taken care of, Classen then needed somewhere to display them.
“I phoned Synergy Credit Union asking if they’d be interested in having the faces on display inside their location and they loved the idea. I also called the LloydMall and they too loved the idea,” said Classen. “That’s where we’re at right now, we’re just waiting on the City.”
Classen and local artist, Graham Flatt, had the first face on display at this past Sunday’s Legacy DIY Maker Fair and Street Market while Flatt was painting it.
“The great thing about this is you’ve got standard form,” said Flatt.
“Everybody’s starting on even ground and only two things are going to change. One being your pallet and the other being subjective colours.
“Every person will have a different conversation about the faces. Art is like a Prince, you have to let it speak to you first.”
Despite his wait for City approval, Classen is hoping to see 27 different Faces of Lloydminster throughout the Border City in the near future.
“I thought they’d look great simply angled places throughout the city such as walkways,” he said, adding the fact anyone interested in supporting the project can reach out through the Lloydminster & Area Artists, Artisans And Creatives Facebook page.
