Original article posted on The Temiskaming Speaker (Diane Johnston): https://speaker.northernontario.ca/youth-leaving-their-mark/ 

The Carter Antila Memorial Skate Park is now a hub for artists, whether on wheels or using spray paint. With a rider perfecting tricks in the park, Kasey Emmons-Burnett tried her hand at graffiti art on one of two plywood walls that have been installed overlooking the venue. (Staff photo by Diane Johnston)

 

TEMISKAMING SHORES – Graffiti has been reviled as vandalism, and it’s been celebrated as public art.

Now, young people have a dedicated space at the Carter Antila Memorial Skate Park to make their mark in spray paint.

“We’re incredibly excited to see what people come up with,” said Jasmine Reil, fundraiser at the Temiskaming Art Gallery.

The gallery’s proposal for a graffiti wall was among 28 successful applicants for a Planet Youth Timiskaming grant.

Planet Youth is a district-wide, multifaceted initiative dedicated to preventing substance use among young people and, in its words, “creating safe and inclusive spaces for youth to thrive.”

It launched a Youth Activity Fund and invited ideas to increase fun, engaging activities for the district’s young people.

When the gallery heard of the fund, Reil said members began brainstorming how to engage youth.

“What about graffiti walls? That’s art, but it’s still kind of youth-centric,” she said.

She described the skate park in Algonquin Regiment Memorial Beach Park in New Liskeard as the “perfect” location.

“You’ve already got people skateboarding, having fun here. Graffiti just really goes along with that aesthetic.”

Two sturdy plywood panels were erected at the skate park.

On August 5, representatives of the gallery and Planet Youth showed up with pizza and cans of spray paint. The curious could draw inspiration from some instructional videos on spray-paint art, or they could just give it a try.

“I’m really bad at painting,” said Kasey Emmons-Burnett of New Liskeard with a laugh.

But she painted some cat-themed images, and continued to embellish them.

Kyle Larochelle recently moved to Temiskaming Shores and, seeing the activity at the park, checked it out.

When he was offered a can of spray paint, “I said, ‘sure, let me try.’”

He has done some work in the visual arts, but graffiti “is definitely a different ballgame.”

Hand movements must be “more fluid” to get the effect you want, said Larochelle as he eyed a couple of stylized Pokémon-inspired figures he’d added to one wall.

The goal of the Youth Activity Fund “was to get more things going on for youth to help them connect to their community,” said Erika Aelterman, a public health promoter with Northeastern Public Health and a lead with Planet Youth Timiskaming.

The community offers sports activities for youth, she said, but there could be more in the arts.

The graffiti project offers a space where youth can create, with intention and structure, said Archana Velu, also a public health promoter and lead with Planet Youth.

It’s helping young people create something in the community that they’re proud of, she said.

The walls are expected to be permanent, but the artwork won’t be.

“We definitely encourage people to have fun with it. Every so often we’ll paint over, start fresh,” Reil said.

There are no rules, but inappropriate language and imagery are not allowed.

Graffiti artists can paint on the walls at any time the park is open, using their own supplies.

The art gallery will have staff and spray paint on site for a couple of hours every week.

“We’re also hoping that, because there’s a dedicated location for spray-painting and graffiti, it would encourage people to come here to do it rather than tagging businesses and telephone poles and stuff downtown,” Reil said.