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Murals in Winnipeg’s West End neighbourhood highlight history and ethnic diversity
There is a new version of this post. See Mural Tour in Winnipeg’s West End.
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West End Murals
August 23, 2015
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42 Comments
Terry
August 23, 2015 at 9:14 amIt was a great tour! I’m glad you suggested it.
Donna Janke
August 23, 2015 at 7:05 pmIt was great, wasn’t it Terry?
Patti
August 23, 2015 at 12:52 pmThese murals are amazing, I would love to take that tour. I especially like the library shelves mural, and the bicycle – as well as what the bicycle represents.
Donna Janke
August 23, 2015 at 7:06 pmThanks Patti. There were a lot of relevant symbols in the murals that I couldn’t easily include in a blog post, but the tour guide points them out, especially in the one with the library shelves about Bill Norrie’s life.
Susan Moore
August 23, 2015 at 10:32 pmWest End tour of the murals will definitely be on my list of things to do next visit to Winnipeg. It’s been years since I visited but maybe soon!
Donna Janke
August 23, 2015 at 10:37 pmSusan,I live in the city and the west end murals were a delightful surprise for me. I think you’ll find quite a bit to see in Winnipeg when you get back here.
MoreTimeToTravel (@MoreTime2Travel)
August 24, 2015 at 12:25 amI love street art. These look fantastic~
Donna Janke
August 24, 2015 at 5:53 pmThanks Irene.
Karen Warren
August 24, 2015 at 4:47 amThat’s fascinating – I hadn’t realised that Winnipeg was so diverse. And the street art is a great way of expressing multiculturalism.
Donna Janke
August 24, 2015 at 5:58 pmKaren, it was interesting to see the murals speak to the histoy and nature of the area.
jacquiegum
August 24, 2015 at 5:11 amThese are amazing! What I love most is that they honor them by having a tour. We have many urban areas here in the US where murals have become a part of the landscape, but the idea of fashioning a tour around them is fantastic.
Donna Janke
August 24, 2015 at 6:00 pmJacquie, the tour was great. The guide provided background about the creation of the murals and pointed out the meaning of items in the murals I would likely not have known otherwise. She also provided some interesting history on the area we walked through.
Carol Colborn
August 24, 2015 at 8:57 amYour posts have continued to raise interest in Winnipeg as a tourist destination. So many say there’s nothing to see there. I have a few Filipino friends who live there but didn’t know it is one of four major immigrant groups. I have always loved murals and the one of Pastor Lehotsky reminded me of the one that amazed me in Quebec City. Thanks again for a great post!
Donna Janke
August 24, 2015 at 6:05 pmCarol, Filipinos were not one of the early immigrant groups to Winnipeg. Most of the immigration occurred 1960 and onward, especially after 1990. But Filipinos now make up 9 to 10% of the Winnipeg population and are listed as the largest ethnic minority group.
travelnwrite
August 24, 2015 at 9:14 amWow! Those murals are like taking an outdoor gallery tour of Winnipeg!
Donna Janke
August 25, 2015 at 8:32 amYes, it was very much like an outdoor gallery tour.
Kay Dougherty
August 24, 2015 at 10:20 amThis was fascinating and a brilliant idea on the part of Winnipeg. Don’t let Donald Trump find out about celebrating anything multi-cultural! I really don’t know anything about Winnipeg but you’ve got me interested now.
Donna Janke
August 24, 2015 at 6:08 pmKay, the West End Biz began promoting and creating murals as a way to beautify the area and help build pride, as well as tell the history and story. It has also been a deterrent to graffiti. Winnipeg is often over-looked as a Canadian tourist destination, but I think it has lots to offer a visitor.
Nancie
August 24, 2015 at 4:14 pmSome very talented artists here! What a great way for visitors to learn about different aspects of Canadian history, and some of our notable legends. I laughed at your walking home story!
Donna Janke
August 24, 2015 at 6:10 pmNancie, my mother-in-law loved to tell the walking home story. The mural artists are talented. The couple that painted the Bill Norrie mural (and at least one other on the tour) make their living as full-time mural artists.
Rachel Heller
August 25, 2015 at 11:39 amThe West End Murals tour sounds great! I think the Bill Norrie mural is my favorite too, though I’m also quite charmed by the Zoohky one. It’s not often that you hear of someone honored just for being a nice guy, not for any huge accomplishments. It’s touching!
Donna Janke
August 26, 2015 at 8:43 amRachel, I agree it is touching to see someone being honoured for just being a nice guy.
Doreen Pendgracs
August 25, 2015 at 9:31 pmSuper post, Donna. We are SO lucky in Winnipeg to have more than 500 marvellous murals. The West End sure does have some terrific ones.
Donna Janke
August 26, 2015 at 8:43 amDoreen, it is great to have so many murals in the city.
Paula McInerney
August 26, 2015 at 2:41 amI love all of the murals and you are right, they do show Winnipeg’s ethic diversity.
Donna Janke
August 26, 2015 at 8:44 amPaula, there are murals throughout the city, but until I took this tour I hadn’t realized what great stories some of the murals tell.
Cathy Sweeney
August 26, 2015 at 11:37 pmThese are amazing murals. I love that they are artistically well done while telling such interesting stories. Quite a tour you had! I think the Bill Norrie mural is really cool. The detail is impressive.
Donna Janke
August 27, 2015 at 9:51 amCathy, they are well done. I was impressed with the detail and how many stories they told.
Noel Morata (@emorata)
August 27, 2015 at 6:52 amWow, this is impressive had no idea about all these gorgeous murals in Manitoba, thanks for the tour and linking up today for Travel Photo Mondays
Donna Janke
August 27, 2015 at 9:52 amNoel, the murals certainly are impressive. Glad to link up with Travel Photo Mondays.
Anita @ Anita's Feast
August 27, 2015 at 11:29 amI enjoy public art of all sorts, and these murals certainly show up interesting facets of local history and culture. Lovely to know about Winnipeg’s West End murals!
Donna Janke
August 27, 2015 at 11:41 amAnita, I hadn’t expected the murals to reflect so much history – it was a pleasant surprise.
Culture Tripper
August 28, 2015 at 10:13 amI grew up in Winnipeg and it’s so nice to see an area I remember as quite shabby so enlivened by the west end murals. A little disappointed, though, that there aren’t more women represented in the murals. They need to make a new mural of all us vibrant girls who used to skate at the roller rink:D I wasn’t a great skater but sure enjoyed it! The tour looks like $5 well spent.
Donna Janke
August 29, 2015 at 4:36 amI certainly thought it was $5 well spent. I hadn’t thought about it at the time, but it would be nice to see more women represented in the murals. I will be looking for that when I explore the area to find the other murals.
santafetraveler
August 28, 2015 at 3:32 pmI love the street mural movement. Winnegeg’s West End neighborhood’s art looks like great fun. We visited two mural cities this year, Cuba MO and La Jolla CA but have seen a lot on buildings here and there in our travels. Nothing like street art!
Donna Janke
August 29, 2015 at 4:37 amI love seeing murals and street art in my travels too.
Colleen Friesen
August 29, 2015 at 6:13 pmLove your street mural images. Next time I’m in Winnipeg I am definitely taking that tour. Thanks for sharing this.
Donna Janke
August 30, 2015 at 1:04 pmColleen, I think you’d enjoy the tour.
Anita and Richard @ No Particular Place To Go
August 30, 2015 at 11:37 amLove these! They make a walk an adventure of discovery! Anita
Donna Janke
August 30, 2015 at 1:04 pmAnita, Adventure of Discovery would be a great title for the tour!
Jeri Walker (@JeriWB)
August 30, 2015 at 10:28 pmThanks for sharing these murals. I’ve always loved murals whenever I come across them. They add so much interest to wherever they appear. Boise has an alley called Freak Alley where the murals change on a constant basis. It’s really cool and a great way to get a lot of people involved in art.
maryloudriedger
September 2, 2015 at 3:30 pmThis tour sounds terrific! I have to try it.
MaryLou