I don’t like the REVELSTOKE. banners that have been put up on the poles in the traffic circle near the west entrance to town.
Though I love Tourism Revelstoke’s new branding for posters and online promotion (and I love the glowing REVELSTOKE. sign), when you compare the sophisticated black banners with the hand-painted ones down the street, I can’t help feel like we are losing a little bit of Revelstoke’s soul.
While I don’t know the circumstances around that decision – perhaps there just weren’t enough painted banners to fill all the poles – but either way I hope this doesn’t become the norm.
Though there are several layers to the identity of any town, in my extremely biased opinion it is the arts and culture of a place that make up its soul.
Music, paintings, art classes, finger painting from kindergarten kids – our creators – are what make us unique.
If you look past the champagne powder photos and the mountaintop selfies, Revelstoke has arts and culture in spades.
As LUNA, Street Fest, Art Alleries, Big Eddy Glassworks, the visual arts and performing arts centre, and all of our amazing artists grow, Revelstoke has the opportunity to be known for its arts scene as well as its epic natural beauty and recreation opportunities.
Walking through cafes or alleys in Revelstoke, the talent of our local artists is apparent.
I just hope that doesn’t get lost in a branding campaign.
On top of adding life and colour to a fairly dull looking street, the hand-painted banners are an opportunity to grow community spirit and have people, and kids, contribute something to our landscape. I’ve seen other places move away from the hand-painted banners and it always breaks my heart.
There is an ongoing, ever evolving conversation about the future of Revelstoke and I know that the banners are but a small part of it, but I think the banner dilemma represents the basic argument that has been going on in Revelstoke since before the resort opened – what do we want to be?
At the end of the day I want every business to be successful and every person who visits or lives here to be happy.
That will take compromise, no doubt about it.
But I hope that the hand-painted banners are not one of the things lost in our effort to be an attractive place for tourists.
Let’s all have a hand in building, beautifying and sustaining our wonderful little town, even if it is just with a paint brush.
@JDoll_Revy
jocelyn.doll@revelstokereview.com
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