It certainly is a city with a whole lot of heart.
The celebration of the newest art installation in downtown Stratford happened today on Downie Street, hosted by the Downtown Stratford BIA.
Following the dedication and thanks to all those involved, the ceremonial ribbon tying took place. This unique take on a ribbon cutting ceremony was well-received by the crowd gathered as the tying of the red ribbon represents the coming together as a community.
The mural “The Heart of Our Community” is comprised of images that encompass the themes of Stratford, such as the famous swans and the Festival, formed using a mosaic of almost 25,000 small hearts.
Artist, Bareket Kezwer, explained the overwhelmingly positive feedback they have gotten from the community, both online and on location.
“So much amazing positive feedback from the community. Truly from the day we started, every day while we were here, people would just walk by and yell ‘Amazing job!’, ‘It’s so beautiful!’, ‘We love it!'” said Kezwer.
Local artist, Liz Emirzian shares her experience working on the mural alongside Kezwer.
“It’s a gorgeous piece, and it was exiting for me too because working on it so close, sometimes I couldn’t see the image till I backed up a bit. And it’s always just breathtaking every time,” expressed Emirzian.
You can learn more about the artists, by visiting Kezwer and Emirzian’s Instagram profiles.
The mural can be found on the exterior wall of Sutton Realty, at 151 Downie Street.
