"Everyone Loves a Parade!"

In the Spring, we will celebrate the Church Street Marketplace’s 30^th Anniversary and unveil the newest addition to Burlington’s downtown. “Everyone Loves a Parade!”—a 124-by-16-foot Trompe L’oeil mural will cover the length of the Banana Republic Building along the Marketplace Alleyway. The Marketplace Alleyway is the main gateway to the Church Street Marketplace where more than 5 million visitors enjoy the heart of Burlington every year. The new mural will serve as Burlington’s first impression to many!

 

It is part of a larger, strategic plan focused on bringing the power and pleasure of public art to the Marketplace. In Summer 2010, a life-sized statue of popular local jazz artist Big Joe Burrell was unveiled in front of Halvorson’s Upstreet Café; a number of other smaller-scale efforts are underway. In 2012, we’ll unveil the Fish Fountain, a public drinking fountain that will playfully remind us of the connection between Burlington and Lake Champlain.
 

 

 
“Everyone Loves a Parade!” is custom-designed by renowned Canadian muralist Pierre Hardy, widely-known for his inventive and meticulously-detailed large-scale pieces. Grand Master Samuel de Champlain will lead the charge as the scene depicts an evolution in time along Church Street. Notable and everyday Burlingtonians, downtown businesses, and iconic images of the past 400 years will be distinguished through overflowing illustrations.

 

French for “trick the eye,” Trompe-l’oeil is an art technique which involves highly realistic imagery and creates the illusion that the subjects depicted are three dimensional.  In addition to its aesthetic value, anyone standing/acting/posing in front of the mural will be in scale with the mural’s content and will visually blend into the parade. The mural will be executed using various painting techniques and will be coated with an acrylic polymer barrier coating in order to protect it.

 

Pierre Hardy has more than 25 years of experience creating outdoor mural productions and 19 years of pre-fabricated mural installations. Hardy was up against 14 other muralists from the US, Quebec, and France competing for the Marketplace Alleyway project. He faced the Marketplace’s public art review panel comprised of 25 Church Street business & property owners as well as Burlington residents. “Everyone Loves a Parade!” will be one of his largest projects to date.

 

 

For a sponsorship gift … YOUR BUSINESS can be included in the mural! This is an exclusive and timeless opportunity to literally be a part of the parade of supporters, and to have a permanent presence in the heart of Burlington. “Everyone Loves a Parade!” will spark curiosity, delight young and old, and enhance the aesthetic Marketplace experience Burlington continues to foster. The mural is a gateway to Vermont’s best shopping and dining, and serves as the first impression to shoppers and visitors arriving on the Church Street Marketplace.

 

We hope you’ll consider becoming part of “Everyone Loves a Parade!” and pledge your support today. For sponsorship information, please contact Becky Cassidy at 865-7253 or bcassidy@ci.burlington.vt.us.

 

For additional information, visit: “Everyone Loves a Parade!” mural concept model presentation or the “Everyone Loves a Parade!” mural concept model for print.