Artigiano partners with Vancouver Mural Festival, adds local art to coffee offerings
As the coffee chain grows, so will the number of public artworks
Photo by Wine Growers British Columbia
Artigiano is expanding, and as it adds new locations to its roster, it’s collaborating with the Vancouver Mural Festival.
The chain formerly called Caffe Artigiano has announced it’s taking over some of the locations that Starbucks closed during the pandemic: one in Mount Pleasant, at 111 West Broadway; and another in Whistler, near Olympic Plaza.
Both will feature interior murals by local artists in conjunction with the fest, as well as mural-themed merchandise like mugs, T-shirts and tote bags, with profit-sharing for the commissioned artists and VMF. With landlords’ approval, exterior murals will go up as well. Subsequent franchise locations will also bear murals by Vancouver artists.
“Since 2016, VMF has brought over 250 murals to Vancouver,” VMF interim executive director Andrea Curtis said in a release. “We're excited to partner with Artigiano to bring even more art to communities across the city and now, the province,” says “We believe public art does more than just beautify neighbourhoods. It connects communities, inspires creativity, and transforms cities, people, and perspectives. Appropriately, our partnership kicks off in Mount Pleasant, the original home of Vancouver Mural Festival and a neighbourhood renowned for both coffee and murals.”
Multidisciplinary street artist Peter Ricq’s What Comes Around Goes... and Puts a Smile on Your Face adorns the Mount Pleasant location, the mural inside continuing out onto the exterior wall facing Manitoba Street. Ricq describes work as a “playful look at the complexity of balancing the utopian goals of sustainability with the threat of a dystopian future.”
According to the release, Artigiano’s new expansion plan, in collaboration with VMF, will continue through 2022, with a mix of in-house and franchise locations throughout the Lower Mainland. Artigiano currently has 16 cafés in B.C. and three in Alberta.
For more information, visit Artigiano.
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