Chilliwack – The owner of the Book Man franchises in Chilliwack and Abbotsford, has an early Christmas present.
In the attached photo- you get an idea of what Amber Price is looking at for an overhead art project over top of her private business property.
From Ambers Facebook posting – December 23, 2021:
I have dreamed of this installation for over two years. I could see it in my mind, and feel it in my heart.There are no words for the elation that I feel when a project has been successfully executed. This installation represents joy and beauty for me. It is balm for my heart, and speaks to inclusion, celebration and community.A HUGE shout out to The Rotary Club of Chilliwack for their generous sponsorship of this installation. Thanks to Cooper Equipment Rentals for our lift sponsorship. Thank you to Chilliwack Electrical Services Ltd for the incredible job they did installing cables and lights. Thanks to Brandon for installing the umbrellas. Thanks to the City of Langley for sharing their installation process with us. Thanks to my Rainbow Umbrella distributors for mailing me 250 umbrellas! Thanks to Downtown Chilliwack for approving this project through your Mural Approval Committee. Thanks to my next door neighbour Kevin for amping up your insurance, and Lissa at Hub Barton in Agassiz for helping me bolster mine.Total cost? >$4k and the bones of the cables and lights will host dozens of installations in the future.We will keep the gates open during the day so that you can come and visit them, take photos and enjoy them. They will be locked up at night to prevent mischief. When the weather warms up, if you would like to use this space for any kind of events please get in touch with me.This will be the home of many installations in the coming years. This first one will always be particularly special to me though.I will be having an official opening of this in the New Year.
In conversation with FVN’s Don Lehn, Price describes the project , what it took to be approved and a shout out to many people involved in the process.
My Dream Project has been APPROVED!My first attempt last year failed – I got the lights up above the alleyway off of Victoria Street, but it was a no go for hanging art. I was devastated, but the lights were so beautiful that I chose to take it as a win. I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and took another run at it….. and this time? Success! I have been working on this attempt for well over a calendar year, and it’s finally time for my overhead umbrella and art installations to come to fruition!This installation will be over my private property out back of the bookstore, by the LOVE mural. It’s going to be EPIC.So many steps went into making this dream a reality! Very grateful to my sponsoring body, the Rotary Club of Chilliwack, the approval committee organized through the Downtown Chilliwack BIA, my installers-to-be Chilliwack Electrical Services Ltd and Eze Rent-It for my lift sponsorship. Shout out to Hub Insurance in Agassiz for working so hard on my liability insurance, the City of Langley for sharing their wisdom and experience with me, my staff at The Book Man for dutifully selling Rainbow Umbrellas to pay for our first installation and ALL the people who have purchased them so far. Also a big thank you to my next door neighbour Kevin for facilitating this project by providing extra building insurance and giving me permission to do my thing!First up: book my install and watch the ‘bones’ of this project take shape. Second up: Install my first project!These are rough inspiration shots for the first two installations (flowers have yet to be approved, so that’s pending) that I have in mind. I’ll be working with ShiverZ Designs and the Chilliwack Community Arts Council to pull this madness off.
