Murals (and more!) to look forward to at Up Here 8

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about the music you can look forward to at Up Here 8, but we’re more than just a simple music festival … we’re a music and art festival. If you’ve been venturing out and about, and paying close attention to your surroundings, you may actually have noticed some colourful new additions to certain walls and hydro boxes already appearing—all thanks to our guest curator, Anong Beam.

One of the best parts? They’re all outdoors, which means visiting the new murals is one of the most COVID-safe activities you can partake in this year. For more details on everything COVID, here’s how we’re dealing with things this year.

First up, murals

Born in the North

Blossoming on the wall of the YMCA, right next to our signature geodesic dome, Born in the North will see twin brothers, Chris and Greg Mitchell, focusing their unique lense on the relationship between humans and nature. Their inspiration is drawn from their Mi’kmaq heritage, music exploration, and Canadian upbringing.

Christian Chapman

Then, above 75 Elm, Christian Chapman is painting one of his vibrantly irreverent pieces. Christian specializes in two-dimensional, mixed-media art, which fuses elements of computer-manipulated images, painting, drawing, and printmaking. He joining us from Fort William First Nation.

Lauren Verwolf

And back from her stint as a Power Up artist in 2020, Lauren Verwold will be brightening 190 Elm, across from the Court House, thanks to the Sudbury Real Estate Board! Lauren is a double ice cream cone: one scoop social worker, one scoop graphic designer, and a waffle cone of passion for bringing the two together with community organization, because “there’s a little art in every heart.” Lauren was programmed to paint a mural in 2021 but had to postpone due to an injury. We're excited to have her paint at Up Here 8.

All our Power Up artists

For the sixth year running, Greater Sudbury Utilies is sponsoring the painting of six more power boxes by local artists. Here’s a peek!

Melanie Vanco

Laurentian architecture student, stick and poke tattooer, and plant lover, Melanie Vanco’s inspiration stems from nature, especially anything relating to mycelium and life.

Catdog3000

Desk jockey by day and an artist by night, Cat grew up on Manitoulin Island and is building a home for herself in Sudbury. She has been slowly refining her style to reflect simplicity and bold colours.

Maxine Lemieux

Maxine Lemieux is a Franco-Ontarienne and Métis multimedia artist from Sudbury. She loves to collage and illustrate and is inspired by fairytales and the people in her life.

Stephanie Babij

Stephanie Babij is an urban-Indigenous visual artist of Ojibwe and mixed-settler heritage. Her visual arts practice includes acrylic paintings, drawings, and wood-burnings crafted from fallen trees.

Stephanie Hrechka

Stephanie Hrechka is a Sudbury-based graphic designer working towards finding a balance between functional and artistic design. Stephanie conceives each piece using her graphic design background as a base to maintain structure and purpose.

LUELLA

Luella started taking her artwork seriously in the beginning of the 2020 pandemic. She considers herself a mixed media artist because she is fascinated by learning new skills and experimenting with different mediums.

There will also be installations by Studio Nude Beach, Alex Bierk, Nico Glaude, and McEwen Architecture students, but we don’t want to ruin all the surprises, so you’ll just have to come on down to see those!