The Vancouver Island School of Art is located in a heritage building constructed in 1921 and owned by School District 61. Its original use was an elementary school (Quadra Elementary) and it seems through the 1970s to the 1990s the building was used for alternative programs for secondary school students. In the late 1990s and early 2000s it was left empty, with the school board coming by to remove tagging on a regular basis. The Vancouver Island School of Art moved into the premises in 2005. The building is one that everybody passes by but nobody notices. In part this is because the Arts and Crafts design was made to blend into the environment, and in part, because of the lack of attendance to outside premises over the years.

The structure is a beautiful example of Arts and Crafts architecture, with a notable feature being the symmetrical design of the exterior and interior features. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a great site devoted to the Arts and Crafts Movement in America for those of you who would like to know more about this unique design style from the early 20th century). When deciding on the painting of the exterior, we thought about how to make it a contemporary design (as we are an art school with an emphasis on contemporary art), while maintaining the integrity of the historical design. VISA Instructor and artist, Xane St Phillip, came up with a design inspired by the Razzle Dazzle ships of World War I (see image above). The military hired artists to paint geometric designs on their ships (there are black and white as well as coloured examples of these designs). The idea for these ships was taken from nature, it was thought they would function in the same way a herd of zebras work in the wild: because of their stripes, potential prey can't tell whether they are coming or going. 

Other influences on the design are Viennese Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture, as well as the photographs of Russian avant-garde artist Alexander Rodchencko. The design below is the latest development of the painting of the school. Still to be added are decorative panels with the letters V, I, S and A. As an art school we felt it was important to make a design that emphasizes the architecture of the building as well as an art historical context. The building, previously unnoticed from the street, now provides a bright gateway to Quadra Village. 

I believe in the power of beauty. The Razzle Dazzle ships revealed how beauty can be used as a strategic tool. In the case of beautification of neighbourhoods (not be confused with "gentrification"), there have been many case studies proving that there is less crime, less vandalism, less littering, and generally more respect for the environment with the implementation of these kind of projects. A great article on this topic can be found here: Can a Paint Job Change a Neighborhood's Future? Our motivation to paint the school was not only to make the building more attractive, and to add an element of excitement to the neighbourhood, we also want to change how people use the school property. The school, after being left abandoned for so many years, had become a home for drug users and weekend drinkers who left behind an array of needles, crack pipes, condoms, cans and bottles and other related debris and garbage. The grounds also became a drop-off place for used furniture, TVs and other stuff people don't want. We spend much time each day making the school grounds a clean and safe place for our students and members of the community who use the backyard everyday, but we felt the need to do something bold to change how people think of the building and what it is used for. We feel by creating a beautiful design on the exterior, that people will treat the place with more respect. People passing by on foot have stopped to tell the painters how much they love the new look; some have even hugged them because of how much it means to them to see this building being looked after (the painters estimate that the outside of the building had not been painted in the last twenty years). People driving by in cars have been shouting out the window things like, "love the new look!", "bravo on the great painting job!", or just giving a honk and do a thumbs-up as they drive by. Obviously the impact has been quite powerful on the people who pass by the building or live in the area. The newly painted building is making a huge difference in the immediate neighbourhood and it also adds to the vibrancy of Victoria as a whole by creating an artistic and dynamic urban environment.

That said, it is a huge financial undertaking for us to do this work, so please help us out in whatever way you can by donating to our Indiegogo fundraising campaign. Thanks so much!