Lorne Julien Paints the Town (Wharf)

Julien beside his winning Town Wharf mural.

Annapolis Royal Refresh!, tasked with rejuvenating public spaces in Annapolis Royal in 2023, selected Mi’kmaw muralist Lorne Julien’s proposal to create an art piece on the asphalt of the Town Wharf.

Mapannapolis.ca is documenting the process. Our purpose has always been “discovering ourselves by telling our stories.”

All images by Andrew Tolson.

Julien’s mural under construction. Many hands make light work.

Paint the Town is a 2-day August weekend tradition organized by the Annapolis Region Community Arts Council. This year not only did more than 80 artists set up around the Town, but Mi'kmaw muralist Lorne Julien was set up at the Town Wharf.

The Wharf is the last working wharf in Annapolis. The Town was once the terminus of rail service from Halifax. Rails ran directly onto the Wharf, and passengers and freight transferred to waiting ships for the onward journey to Saint John, New Brunswick.

Julien’s crew at work. The mural’s undercoat, to seal the asphalt, had been applied earlier

Tens of wharves on both sides of the Annapolis River marked the commercial importance of the area, with produce, fish, and timber sent to markets elsewhere in Canada and the United States, primarily.

What Lorne proposed to create for Refresh Annapolis!

Before the mural painting began, Julien imagined it would take 6 weeks to finish. It took just 6 days.