Wall Murals Outdoor Art Gallery

CHEMAINUS, "A Celebration of Canadian Heritage"

Chemainus certainly is one of the most beloved places by visitors to Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
 

Welcome to the official Website of The Chemainus Festival of Murals Society. This website should provide you with all of the information you need to plan your visit to our world famous boutique outdoor mural art gallery and professional theatre village here in British Columbia.

Each year, hundreds of busses and thousands of visitors from all over the world travel to Vancouver Island British Columbia to take in this unique village with its rich historic past and its professional wall murals and numerous other attractions. Our wall art murals as well as our Professional Theatre Festival is a year round event, so visit any time and enjoy! Tourism website link.

Visit, shop and explore our boutique mural and professional theatre village!

Businesses, attractions, events and "Rush Hour in Chemainus"
             
See our murals, take in a professional theatre play, a game of golf, dive our airplane, explore the region!

Chemainus, has things like imagination and foresight and a will to survive after it was announced in 1982 that the major employer in this one industry town, the mill was going to close in 1983. View Chemainus TV commercial. or Silent add or read tripadvisor. More Tourism links and Tourism Chemainus how to get here.

The coastal community of Chemainus, located in the originally named Horseshoe Bay a natural harbour, has a rich and varied history. Beginning thousands of years ago with the Coast Salish Native people, that history has flourished through a century and a half of industry and labour. With a mild climate and a great abundance of natural resources, the surrounding area became home to many hardworking settlers. Side by side, these people hewed a town of substance from the majestic forests.

These same forests have provided the lifeblood of the entire valley for more than a century, but to Chemainus, this has sometimes been a painful reality.

Without waiting to hear if the mill would reopen, residents rallied to hold on to the roots they had established here. They beautified the central core. But more was to come. With the remarkable energy and creative vision of resident and businessman Karl Schutz a group of volunteers, and the committed support of the then mayor Graham Bruce and the municipal council, the Festival of Murals Society was born. The downtown was revitalized and introduced to outdoor art gallery of murals. The first town to do this and indeed Chemainus became an example to the world as to how grow tourism via the art of murals. From just five wall murals and lots of spirit in the summer of 1981, Chemainus has struggled, grown and succeeded in literally putting itself on the map.

In 1983, it won the prestigious New York Downtown Revitalization Award for its redevelopment of the town core. It has since gained world-wide acclaim for the integrity and superb artistry of its huge depictions of the town's history with 41 outdoor murals plus carvings and statues.

Chemainus was and really is known as "The Little Town That Did"©.
We are currently working on the 42 nd Mural - 41 in the Heritage series and we are planning the number 2 mural in the Emily Carr series.

In 2009 the society expanded its vision from depicting the history of Chemainus and the Chemainus Valley to include the history of Vancouver Island and is now using the images of Emily Carr a group of seven Canadian BC artist. The first is a Trompe L’oeil (fools the eye) mural on the Chemainus road side wall of the famous Theatre.   See the First Mural >    

Isabel Askew, one of the first female settlers.  Take in a walking or horse and carriage tour! The town now has a new look. It is one that is reminiscent of past glories, and the result is a pleasing mixture of Victorian and frontier design, with a real down home feel. Chemainus welcomes you to a feast for all the senses. Come and taste the magic! You'll never experience history quite like this again.

Discover many more reasons to stay and play in Chemainus, the ideal location to stay overnight and explore central Vancouver Island. 

          Link here to visit our local (BIA) businesses.     Even more things to do on Vancouver Island   Events in Chemainus - link

Chemainus BC Art and Things to Do on Vancouver Island