The Vancouver Mural Fest 2021

Yesterday we saw the end of the deeply loved and highly anticipated Vancouver Mural Festival. We on the Joe Average team always love seeing the festival, however, this year was extra special for us.

For those of you reading this that do not live in Vancouver, or maybe just don't fully understand what the festival encompasses, these next paragraphs are for you.

The Vancouver Mural Fest is run by VMF, a not-for-profit that has dedicated itself to the artistic and cultural development of Vancouver. The organization was created in 2016, with the intention of changing the way citizens of Vancouver experienced art, and that mission has transformed into the creation of world-class events.

Along with the Vancouver Mural Fest, the VMF also produces the popular VMF Winter Arts. But that's not all, they continue their collaborations throughout the year on both public and private arts-driven projects.

What the VMF does, is use the power of art to connect communities, celebrate diverse cultures, and address socio-cultural issues facing the city of Vancouver, and the artistic community.

Now back to why this year was extra special for us.

Joe was approached to have this larger-than-life version of "One World, One Hope" created in honor of him, and in recognition of it being the 40th anniversary of the first AIDS cases being reported In the United States.

When Joe originally created this work of art, he did so with the intention of representing human fragility, and the love we should all place toward each other, as love is the only way for us as a species to conquer things together.

Thank you to VMF for featuring Joe, and thank you to all of you who sent us images of the Mural for the past 18 days.