Neighbourhood art | Kitchener Love My Hood

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Neighbourhood art projects, including community murals or painted rock gardens, can help enhance spaces and create a lasting source of pride in our neighbourhoods.

This guide offers residents ways to beautify, transform and celebrate spaces in your neighbourhood. Explore each of the sections and steps below to learn how to lead an art project in your neighbourhood. You can also access this printer-friendly version to easily share with your neighbours or view the digital book below.

Neighbourhood art guide

Neighbourhood Art Program Guide

Step-by-step checklist

This quick checklist outlines a few steps your group may need to take while planning an art project: 

Talk to your neighbours
Generate project ideas.
Connect with City staff.
Gather community support.
Develop a design or project plan.
Apply for funding through a LoveMyHood grant.
Finalize your design or project plan.
Get things ready by confirming community support, gathering all necessary supplies and recruiting volunteers.
Plan your project installation or event.
Install or celebrate your project.

Whether you’re leading a large community mural project or planning a small painted rock garden, we know that every resident-led project is unique! That’s why we recommend that you connect with the Neighbourhood Development Office for more resources and information to help support your neighbourhood project.

What is neighbourhood art?

Whether you’re working with a community-based artist or neighbours to create an art project, there are many ways to brighten up or enhance your neighbourhood spaces, including:

Community Murals
Painted Rock Gardens
Mosaics
Temporary Installations

Depending on the project you choose, the benefits of  neighbourhood may include:

Building a sense of belonging and allowing neighbours to get to know one another.
Reflecting the identities, experiences and stories of a neighbourhood.
Creating unique opportunities for residents and artists.
Encouraging community interaction or participation.
Beautifying or enhancing public spaces and improves neighbourhood gathering places.

What can I do in my neighbourhood?

There are many ways to get involved with art projects in your neighbourhood! 

Below we’ve provided a few examples of what other resident groups have done in their own neighbourhoods, but we encourage you get creative and come up with ideas for your own neighbourhood.

To get started, connect with City staff  today for more resources, support and information.

Painted rock gardens

Painted rock gardens, and other additions of paint to a neighbourhood, can enhance entryways, parks and other gathering spaces through colourful designs and inspiring words. Here are a few things to consider when planning a painted rock garden:

Source smooth, flat rocks as they work best for painting.
Be kind to the environment by using non-toxic, earth-friendly acrylic paints.
Ensure that your rock garden is not in the right-of-way, such as on a pathway or trail.

Mosaics

Mosaics are art installations made from smaller pieces of coloured glass, tile, stone or other materials. A resident-led mosaic projects may require:

The creation of a design.
The sourcing of reclaimed or decorative materials. 
The sourcing of an appropriate surface for the materials to be affixed to.
The arrangement of the materials on a levelled wall or other surface in a neighbourhood space.

Some questions you’ll want to consider before starting a mosaic project include:

What is your desired surface or location for the mosaic to be installed?
How big of a project do you want to undertake? The size of your project may depend on the available space and budget.

Temporary installations

Temporary installations are pieces of artwork that may encourage interaction. Temporary Installations may include: 

Knitted or crocheted creations on fences and lamp posts.
Decorative bird houses.
Miniature fairy doors on trees.

 Some questions you will want to consider before starting a temporary installation project may include:

What is the purpose of your installation?
How much maintenance can your group commit to doing?
How big of a project do you want to undertake?
Where would you like the installation to be located?

Community murals

Community murals are paintings intended to enhance a neighbourhood through the use of design elements and colours. These can range in size and are typically located on unused walls, temporary boards or concrete bunkers.

Once you’ve determined  your budget and where your  project will be located, it will be easier to determine the size and scope of your project.

When planning a community mural project, it is important to identify the following:

What is your budget?
What is the desired location for the mural?
What is your timeline for completing the mural?

Community mural projects can be a big undertaking depending on the size and location. We recommend that you connect with City staff for more information and resources, including:

A database of community-based artists to work with.
A list of tools and equipment that may be required to complete this project. 
Criteria for selecting an appropriate location.

Community murals range in cost depending on a number of factors, such as size, materials required and artist fees. To give you an idea of this range, we’ve developed two community mural sample budgets:

Sample Budget #1:

This mural was 20 feet by 8 feet in size and was located on an existing wall. To get the job done, it required 60 cans of 400 ml spray paint. 

Materials: Under $500

Artist Labour and Installation Fee: $500-$1,000

Total Cost: $1,000 - $3,000

Sample Budget #2:

If you don't have an available existing surface to paint on, such as a retaining wall, you may need to create your own outdoor canvas. This may include boards, posts and additional labour costs. While this mural also measures at 20 feet by 8 feet in size, it has a larger budget to account for the installation of the artwork on plywood boarding instead of an existing wall. To get the job done, it required plywood, primer, anti-graffiti coating and paint. 

Materials: $500-$1,000

Artist Fee: $1,000-$3,000

Installation: $3,000-$5,000

Total Cost: Over $5,000

Frequently asked questions

How much will a project like this cost?

Costs will vary significantly depending on the scope of your idea for the project. It could range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

Is there funding available?

If you and your neighbours are interested in completing a neighbourhood art project, funding may be available through the LoveMyHood Matching Grant, or a number of other sources. You can also seek donations from partners or businesses. Just ask city staff to help you explore your options.

How long will this take?

Overall, the entire project could take several months to complete depending the project type. The most time-consuming part of a neighbourhood art project may be working with your neighbours and city staff to plan larger-scale projects.

What approvals do I need?

Consult with city staff to determine what permits and approvals may be required. This will vary depending on your project. Connect with City staff for more on project requirements.

How much maintenance is needed?

We recommend that you connect with City staff in the early stages of your project planning to find out if maintenance for your project is required.