New mural coming to downtown Golden

Kicking Horse Culture is very pleased to share this announcement from the Town of Golden about the new mural coming to the wall of the Golden Dollar Store.

New mural coming to downtown Golden

It is time to say farewell to the current Swiss Guides mural in downtown Golden and watch as a new one emerges. On August 2, Ottawa-based muralist, Dominic Laporte and co-founder Anaïs Labrèque of Drift Mural Co. will start working on a new mural on the side of The 407 Boutique/Golden Dollar Store.

The current mural was painted in 1999 by Mokman (Mark) Chen and the late Greg Leckie to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Swiss guides coming to Golden. The new mural will continue to honour the history of the Swiss guides, connecting Golden’s past to its present and celebrating the region’s natural beauty and rich cultural heritage.

“Golden’s history is rooted in adventure. From early explorers making their way over the Rocky Mountains and the climbing expeditions of the Swiss guides, to the authentic, adventurous mountain town we have become today,” said Mayor Ron Oszust. “I can’t wait to watch the new mural unfold and to see the addition of a vibrant new piece of public art in our community.”

Laporte’s submission was chosen by a selected jury of art representatives from the Golden community, following a Request for Proposal issued by Kicking Horse Culture (KHC) in February 2023. The creation of the piece is being funded between Kicking Horse Culture and the Town of Golden through the Province of British Columbia’s Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI).

“It was very clear that the Swiss guides mural was suffering from the weather and losing its lustre, and, given the arts council’s previous involvement we felt a moral imperative that KHC needed to take action to reimagine and bring the wall back to life,” said Bill Usher, Executive & Artistic Director of KHC. “We are thrilled with the community engagement that has us now welcoming Dom and Anaïs to Golden to do just that.”

During the last week of July, local builder Ned Johnson of Innovation Building will install aluminum composite panels to the wall, allowing the old mural to live on underneath the new artwork. Stop by to say farewell and snap a photo of Golden’s history. Laporte and Labrèque will be onsite painting the mural from August 2-15, 2023.

“We are really excited to be coming to Golden,” said Laporte. “Through this mural, we hope to convey our deep respect for the mountains and the local communities’ history and natural surroundings.”

To learn more about the project visit golden.ca/RMImural or follow the progress by stopping by the site or following the Town of Golden (@townofgolden), Kicking Horse Culture (@kickingculture) and Tourism Golden (@tourismgolden) on Facebook and Instagram.

The Town of Golden and Kicking Horse Culture would like to thank John and Charlene Collison of The 407 Boutique/Golden Dollar Store for the continued use of their wall for the mural.

Click here for more details…