PEI

Kensington unveils 'whimsical' new public art

Kensington's Railyards are becoming an outdoor art gallery, with the addition of two large-scale artworks unveiled Friday.

'We kind of were thinking, what's Instagrammable moments that represents our area?'

Two brand-new art installations unveiled at the Kensington Rail Yards Friday

4 years ago
Duration 1:54
The two pieces, a mural painting and a giant metal fiddle, are meant to reflect Kensington's musical roots.

Kensington's Railyards are becoming an outdoor art gallery, with the addition of two large-scale artworks unveiled Friday.

The artists, tourism operators and people from the community came to see the unveiling of a large mural by Scott O'Neil of O'Neil Gallery and a large metal fiddle by Eric and Dianne Schurman of Malpeque Fine Iron Products.

The works were commissioned by the town and a working group called The Heart of P.E.I., a Kensington and Area Chamber of Commerce-led initiative with a five-year plan to enhance the area's appeal as a destination.

"We kind of were thinking, what's Instagrammable moments that represents our area? And we felt music is such a big part of our culture and region here and we wanted to showcase those artisans," said Coreen Pickering from the Heart of P.E.I.

The committee plans to create more such works in the future. 

O'Neil said the mural took him three months to create, and got him to step out of his comfort zone. 

"I was asked to keep it free-spirited, a little whimsical and a lot of fun — so this is a little different than my normal style of work, so if it weren't for the signature you may not know I did it," he said. 

More from CBC P.E.I.

With files from Danny Arsenault