Vernon mural of local icon Sveva Caetani to be taken down

The Vernon mural of Sveva Caetani will be coming down, artist Michelle Loughery confirms.

Loughery is the lead artist behind most of the murals throughout the city. She says she’s been given notice that the mural at 32 Ave and 30th Street will be coming down for an unknown development.

“We need a policy and procedures and processes, how does that mural come down, we don't have an art policy,” said Loughery.

“Who can decommission murals without a proper policy and experts in place?”

Murals in Vernon first started being painted in 1998 by lead Loughery. She brought a youth engagement and downtown revitalization initiative idea forward which was geared towards at-risk youth.

The murals are intended to highlight the stories of people who influenced and built up the City of Vernon, including the soon to be removed mural of Sveva Caetani.

According to the Downtown Vernon Association’s description of the mural, Sveva came to Vernon in 1921 when she was just 4 years old.

“Her fathers death in 1934 severely affected her mother who forced Sveva to be housebound. Sveva was only allowed to read, as painting or other artwork was threatening to Ofelia,” reads the mural description.”

“Sveva tried to paint in the 1950’s but her mother’s protests dashed her work until Ofelia’s death in 1960. By 1978, Sveva began a catalog of 56 spectacular water colours that reflected the story of her life.”

Loughery acknowledges the need for development and growth in the city, but takes issue with how things have been handled thus far.

“I'm very uncomfortable with elected officials saying what comes down from the wall,” said Loughery. “We had commitments in place and contracts in place and things, there was supposed to be marketing. There was supposed to be more of an exchange. And I think that the murals have not had that treatment.”

She says she’d like to see a better art maintenance plan in place where more people involved have a seat at the table – people like artists, historians and experts.

She says she was promised a public art policy when she left the murals.

“They were under the official plan, the money was not paid by the city,” said Loughery. “It was a partnership. I was the designer and builder, there was lots of people involved, but we had a committee.”

The current asset management plan of the murals is not clear. During the mural tour by the Greater Vernon Museum and Archives guides say the murals are managed by the DVA. The DVA did not respond to a request for comment.

Castanet reached out to the City of Vernon for more information about the current management plan but the city was unable to provide a response before publication.

It's not clear when the Sveva mural will be taken down.