EDMONTON, Alta. — As the Old Strathcona Youth Society (OSYS) prepares for relocation, the city may risk losing more than just an important community resource, but a well-known, vibrant piece of art.
In January, it was announced that due to the aging building’s structural damage and need for “extensive repairs,” the city would be evicting OSYS by March 31st.
The organization, which provides resources for disadvantaged youth in the Old Strathcona neighbourhood, is still searching for a new location.
While the ultimate fate of the 100-year-old building is not yet unknown, celebrated artist AJA Louden, who works with disadvantaged youth and painted the mural that covers the front of the building, knows that something will be lost.
“Working with OSYS on the mural project for their building, I saw firsthand how important the organization is to the community,” Louden, who was awarded the distinguished alumni award from MacEwan University last year, said in an email.
“The mural was inspired by conversations with youth and staff about what OSYS meant to them. Ideas about the importance of feeling seen, heard, and understood, and offering that to others, still stick with me. Our mural will live on in photos, but will be destroyed if OSYS moves on.”
The Old Strathcona neighborhood is covered in murals — the Varscona Theatre, Boxer Bar, and El Cortez restaurant on either side of the OSYS building each boast their own artwork — and other murals can be seen all over Edmonton. Part of that can be traced back to the city of Edmonton’s Community Mural Grant.
“We want murals to be positive additions to a community and to add to that vibrancy,” says Chrystal Coleman, the graffiti and mural program lead for the city.
OSYS’s mural was funded in part by the grant program in 2018.
It is unclear what the city plans to do with the building.
The city’s inspection services could not be reached for comment while the youth society did not respond requests for comment.
But it would not be the first time a well-known Edmonton mural was lost, if the building is torn down. When the old lodge at Edmonton Ski Club was demolished in 2022, the artwork of Bob Marley and Bob Dylan that graced its southern wall came with it.
As for the grant program, it considers the expected longevity of a building and its artwork when providing funding.
“The lifespan of a mural is anywhere from 10 to 20 years,” says Coleman. “One of the things we’ve built into the program this year is we’re asking organizations to have a preservation plan or to have a maintenance plan.”
Coleman says this requires yearly inspections, like the one that found structural damage at OSYS.
As for the youth society, it is not yet known what they will do after the end of March. The Old Strathcona Business Association says they have offered their support to the OSYS, but have not heard a response.
“It’s unfortunate when this happens,” says Coleman. “The community and the artist put a lot of time into that mural and now it’ll just be gone, not to mention, of course, the role that the organization plays in the community.”
Louden, who also designed the Oilers logo for Black History Month, said the youth society gave a lot of the community, and that’s why he is such a big supporter of their work.
“OSYS provided a lot of structure and opportunity to be a part of a community,” says Louden. “That sense of belonging is so important to living a fulfilling life.”