Ride With Me Street Murals by Holly Carr, Elyse Moir and Vanessa Thomas is one of many public artworks installed across the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Holly Carr, Elyse Moir, Vanessa Thomas, 2024
Community designed and painted street murals
Intersections along Creighton and Maynard Streets
About the artwork
Halifax’s North End, a historically African Nova Scotian neighbourhood, was identified through the North End Complete Streets Project as an opportunity for enhanced travel ways aided by temporary curb extensions. Seven intersections were selected and murals were used to make the space safer and build a sense of ownership through community engagement.
Artists Holly Carr, Elyse Moir and Vanessa Thomas were selected by a jury from a pool of artists with community engaged art practices to lead the process of creating a series of street murals in Halifax's North End. The artists lead design workshops with 5th and 6th grade students at nearby Joseph Howe Elementary School. Over the course of a rainy spring and hot summer, local youth groups and camps painted the murals. Community members expressed enthusiasm around the project as it brought colour back to the street.
A community gathering took place in early October 2024 offering a ride and walk-along art unveiling. Through the enhancement and shortening of crosswalks, these community painted spaces have already changed the way many interact with the street by building a sense of belonging, ownership, and presence for the community to make their way to school and work every day.
This project was funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies through the Asphalt Art Initiative.
About the artist
Holly Carr has gained national acclaim for her unique style of silk painting. She has participated in numerous group and solo shows and continues to exhibit nationally. Holly has designed for theatre productions and large-scale public installations. In 2019 Holly won a Merritt Award for outstanding set design for “Half Cracked” a Neptune/Eastern Front collaboration. Her most ambitious installation to date is a larger-than-life environment created out of painted silk, “Light in the Forest” for Acadia University Art Gallery which has been redesigned as a mental wellness, multimedia production that she is currently touring all regions of Nova Scotia. Light in the Forest is also an award-winning children’s book and an App in development Holly has partnered with the NS ministry of Mental Health and Addictions to create a permanent Light in the Forest Exhibit that will open at the NS Museum of Natural History, Fall, 2024. Holly has also partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association (NS Div) creating” The Comfort Tree” a story trails project for the Portapique Community. The project will be published as a children’s book in 2024. In 2003 Holly branched out into performance art, where she paints large works live on stage. Working with numerous musicians and performers including a cross Canada tour with Stuart McLean and the Vinyl Café, as well as performances with world renowned violinist Min Lee in Singapore and the National Art Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. Holly has also had successful performances with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and her own show with Symphony Nova Scotia where she painted an 8 x 32-foot painting live with the orchestra and most recently the Toledo Symphony in Ohio. Holly has travelled internationally with her work, exhibiting, teaching and performing in Peru, Hong Kong and Singapore. Holly graduated from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design with a BFA and B.A.Ed. Holly’s work can be found in numerous private and public collections.
Elyse Moir is a visual artist and facilitator based in K’jipuktuk/Halifax. Since graduating from NSCAD University in 2015, Elyse has seamlessly integrated artistic mastery with a commitment to community engagement and left an enduring impact as an educator with local institutions like NSCAD, AGNS, CFAT, Ross Creek, and Wonder'neath Art Society. Proficient in various mediums, Elyse's artistic ventures include paintings, prints, illustrations, zines, ceramics, and textiles. Curiously exploring themes of grief, joy, humour, self-discovery, and community building, Elyse draws inspiration from the uninhibited creativity of children, the wonders of the cosmos, graphic novels, and the transformative power of music and dance.
Functioning as a conductor of creativity, Elyse thrives on collaborative work. Notably, during a residency at the Centre for Craft Nova Scotia, community engagement was successfully encouraged through a large-scale felt mural project, fostering dynamic and collaborative storytelling. This initiative featured bold shapes and vibrant colours, drawing inspiration from shared experiences, and emphasized the significance of connection during times of loss and uncertainty. In 2021, Elyse facilitated the creation of a mural of self-portraits at a local elementary school and contributed to a collaborative mural in downtown Halifax. These experiences underscore Elyse's commitment to community engagement and the transformative potential of art in diverse settings. With a skill set encompassing coordination, facilitation, event planning and technical expertise, Elyse is well-prepared to make creative contributions to public art projects.
Beyond visual art, Elyse coordinates the Power House Youth Centre, designing engaging recreation programs and cultivating authentic relationships. Elyse also volunteers in an inclusive dance program for children. Both roles align well with Elyse’s dedication to making creative expression accessible and joyful, fostering environments where connections are forged, and community flourishes. Elyse is seriously lighthearted and dedicated to contributing to the arts and serving in the community, with a particular focus on supporting children and youth.
Vanessa “Nessy” Thomas is a Halifax-based, African Nova Scotian artist with a distinctive style that dances between realism, abstraction and emotion. Nessy's art reflects a journey of self-discovery and connection. Through bold strokes and vibrant hues, Nessy invites viewers into a world where imagination knows no limits. Nessy has successfully responded to multiple public art calls and community-based art projects and commissions. In addition to traditional mediums, Nessy has made a significant impact in the digital art realm, achieving success in releasing a sold-out, limited edition digital art collection on NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) trading platform Open Sea. Nessy has showcased adaptability and embraced innovative platforms to reach a global audience.