Huge 50th anniversary mural will be created in downtown Mississauga

It’s down to the final three competitors to see who’ll be tasked with creating a huge new mural on the side of the Living Arts Centre to celebrate Mississauga’s 50th anniversary as a city.

A lengthy initial list of professional artists and artist teams was recently whittled down to the final trio of entrants (see videos below) who are now in the process of developing “community-informed proposals” as they compete to win the job, City of Mississauga officials said.

Members of the public had the chance to weigh in on the decision as their comments and input were welcomed earlier.

In April, an art selection committee will choose the winner and that person or team will then set about creating the mural to honour Mississauga’s history and its 50th anniversary.

Their work will begin in May and the completed mural will be unveiled this summer, city officials said.

The competition is being run by the city’s Public Art Program, which commissions professional artists to create visual art for public spaces throughout Mississauga.

The large-scale mural will be created on the concert tower of the Living Arts Centre, located in the city’s downtown core beside Square One.

“The mural will thank and acknowledge the Anishinaabe peoples who came to be known as the Mississaugas of the Credit for our city’s name,” Mississauga officials said in an online update. “It will also honour 50-plus years of Mississauga’s history and celebrate our city’s exciting future.”

One of the three final groups vying to paint a 50th anniversary mural for Mississauga points to the blank canvas on the Living Arts Centre where the work will be created.

The final three entrants submitted videos to the city (see below) in which they introduced themselves and their artistic practice and asked residents questions of their choice.

On Jan. 1, 1974, the townships of Streetsville, Port Credit and Mississauga amalgamated to form Mississauga.

Now, a half century later, Mississauga is Canada’s seventh-largest city and home to nearly one million people (some believe the city has unofficially reached one million residents already).

Moving forward, city officials and community groups have numerous events planned throughout 2024 to celebrate the big occasion. Anniversary celebrations were kicked off on New Year’s Eve in Mississauga’s downtown core.

Former mayor Bonnie Crombie said last year Mississauga’s 50th birthday celebration in 2024 will be a “party for the ages.”

New public art, city-wide street banners, a commemorative Mississauga Library card, a time capsule and a wide array of anniversary-themed programming and events are just a few things planned for the year-long 50th anniversary bash.

In all, more than 50 initiatives throughout the entirety of 2024 are in place to mark the milestone, city officials said earlier.