Banners project paints new relationships

var cpo = []; cpo["_object"] ="cp_widget_796abd27-6fe4-4945-9e37-68d7607cc27c"; cpo["_fid"] = "AUIAGc8jCwkX";var _cpmp = _cpmp || []; _cpmp.push(cpo);(function() { var cp = document.createElement("script"); cp.type = "text/javascript";cp.async = true; cp.src = "//www.cincopa.com/media-platform/runtime/libasync.js";var c = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];c.parentNode.insertBefore(cp, c); })(); Powered by Cincopa Video Hosting for Business solution.Festival of BannersA Nanaimo News Bulletin photo gallery of people creating banners for the 28th annual Festival of Banners.Getting started Cathy Inglis applies orange paint to her banner inside the Nanaimo North Town Centre on April 2. Her banner will be part of the 2015 Festival of Banners, which runs from May until October. Inglis has previously been involved with the Festival of Banners. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 417Hole in oneKim Denton applies paint to a banner inside Nanaimo North Town Centre on April 2. Denton’s banner is titled Roger in honour of her stepfather who was recently diagnosed with cancer. The banner is just one of 200 that will be created as part of this year’s Festival of Banners.originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 505FocusedFred Shafai works on his banner inside the Nanaimo North Town Centre on April 2. His banner will on display somewhere in Nanaimo from May until October. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 720height 480Up closeTheresa Smith applies paint to a banner inside Nanaimo North Town Centre on April 2. Her banner will eventually go on display somewhere in Nanaimo as part of the 2015 Festival of Banners. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 565Campfire Amanda Keay applies paint to her banner titled Campfire inside Nanaimo North Town Centre on April 2. Keay's banner is part of the 2015 Festival of Banners. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 417The perfect touchMarja-Lisa A. Washburn paints a banner inside the Nanaimo North Town Centre on April 2. Her banner is part of the 2015 Festival of Banners.originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 417A splash of blueMartine Balderston works on her banner inside the Nanaimo North Town Centre on April 2. Her banner will on display somewhere in Nanaimo from May until October. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 417Attention to detailSkyanne Jenkins paints a banner inside the Nanaimo North Town Centre on April 2. Her banner is part of the 2015 Festival of Banners. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 417Finishing touches Joan Hiemstra works on her banner inside the Nanaimo North Town Centre on April 2. Her banner will on display somewhere in Nanaimo from May until October. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 417Festival of Banners project coordinator Brenda Peck.Festival of Banners project coordinator Brenda Peck stands in front of a bunch of banners from previous years. The banners are for sale at the Nanaimo North Town Centre.originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 415Hard at workMartine Balderston, Skyanne Jenkins and other painters spent the afternoon working on their banners for the 2015 Festival of Banners. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 434Completed banners for this year's Festival of Banners.Completed banners hang inside the Nanaimo North Town Centre. The banners will eventually be on display throughout Nanaimo.originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 436More completed banners hang inside the Nanaimo North Town Centre.Even more completed banners hang inside the Nanaimo North Town Centre. According to organizer Brenda Peck, there are 200 banners for this year's festival. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 417Banners for saleBanners from last year's Festival of Banners are available for purchase at the Nanaimo North Town Centre. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 417Banners on displayThere is no shortage of banners from previous festivals for sale at the Nanaimo North Town Centre.originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 427Colourful bannersThere are plenty of colourful banners for sale at the Nanaimo North Town Centre. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 417Floored Banners from last year's Festival of Banners are available for purchase at the Nanaimo North Town Centre. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 417Banners from the pastBanners from last year's Festival of Banners are available for purchase at the Nanaimo North Town Centre. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AMwidth 625height 417

In a few weeks’ time, hundreds of banners will grace the streets of Nanaimo.

The banners are not corporate advertisements, nor are they plain and boring.

They’re colourful, unique and created by residents of the Harbour City as part of a nearly three-decade long project known as the Festival of Banners.

This year’s banners theme is My Favourite Things, which requires participants to create banners that highlight the things they enjoy most.

“They don’t have to be artists either,” said Brenda Peck, Festival of Banners project coordinator. “Anybody who likes to draw is more than welcome.”

Upon completion, the banners will be displayed throughout the city between May and October.

The Festival of Banners began in 1987 and was been organized and paid for by the Nanaimo Art Gallery.

However, this year’s festival is a joint project between the gallery and the Nanaimo Arts Council, which will become the festival’s sole organizer beginning in 2016.

“They [Nanaimo Arts Council] are excited about it and they are excited to make it grow into hundreds of banners,” Peck said.

Peck, who has been the festival’s project coordinator for the last 15 years, is responsible for making sure the 200 banners that will be created this year are properly painted and prepared for display.

“It is not just a matter of coming in and painting a banner,” Peck said.

In order to ensure the banners will survive the weather conditions, Peck monitors each of the painters’ progress.

“One thing you have to be careful with these banners is that if you over paint them then they can rip,” Peck said. “If you under paint them then they will also rip. You really have to watch everybody paint because every molecule of fabric has to be covered.”

Peck also determines where the completed banners will go on display, which she says is a delicate and time-consuming process.

“I don’t just look at it,” she said. “I think about what stores and what businesses are around.”

After 15 years of being the project coordinator, Peck has made plenty of friends and says that is what keeps her coming back each year.

“It is the people,” Peck said. “I consider us all a family of painters.”

To paint a banner or for more information about the Festival of Banners, please visit the Nanaimo North Town Centre, 4750 Rutherford Rd., or visit www.nanaimoartgallery.com.

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