Montague’s unique design invites you to capture and share your visit to Burlington with beautiful street art.
Tourism Burlington is thrilled to announce that after years of exploring an iconic way to marry the perfect selfie with creative street art, the creation of the latest #WhatLiftsYou installation by Kelsey Montague, The Garden Swing, is here!
“Traditionally, destination marketing organizations and other placemaking groups have relied on large branded installations to bring attention to their destination,” said Kristene Smith, Executive Director of Tourism Burlington. “But marketing a destination is about more than just reinforcing the name of a geographic area. We want to showcase Burlington’s diverse offerings uniquely and creatively. We have an abundance of natural attractions, two unique business districts, activities, and events, year-round, for all ages. It’s those experiences that make people fall in love with a place. That’s what we wanted for Burlington; a connection to our place.”
The mural design features five unique images of the city hidden within its design. Though they are not giving away what they are, or their location in the mural, keep an eye on Tourism Burlington’s social media for a contest for those who capture a selfie with all five images tagged. In addition to these hidden gems, the mural’s interactive component is a large jungle swing, featuring bright, vibrant florals, and enchanting green space, a nod to Canada’s largest Royal Botanical Gardens which is a few kilometers away.
“Kelsey creates large-scale, interactive street murals around the world. Kelsey has created work in Cape Town, Galway, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Manchester, Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York City (among many others). Each piece provides an opportunity for people to become a ‘living work of art.’ Participants are encouraged to post pictures with the work on social media under the hashtag #whatliftsyou with the intent of making social media a kinder place.
Her work has been featured and/or commissioned by Taylor Swift, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Smithsonian and The Today Show.
With over 155,000 followers Kelsey uses her Instagram to continue to explore how art can, and should, weave itself into our daily lives.” says business partner and sister Courtney Montague.
“Burlington has a rich cultural footprint, known for its art gallery, museums, performing arts centre public art, and culturally diverse events. Kelsey’s style and desire for her murals to be interactive and memorable was a natural fit for visitors to Burlington. We are so grateful that residents will also be able to experience this beautiful piece of art for a long time to come”, says Executive Director, Kristene Smith.
The mural, located at the intersection of Elizabeth Street and Lakeshore Road, was commissioned by Tourism Burlington, and would not be possible without the generous support from and partnership with the Burlington Downtown Business Association and The Molinaro Group.
