Annie Hamel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts and is a member of Québec’s Conseil des métiers d’art as a professional artisan. She is been working in the field of mural and decorative painting for more than 10 years. Hamel produces several large-scale projects in Québec and overseas, especially in France, Belgium and Mexico.
Artwork description
2014 marks the 125th anniversary of the Old Brewery Mission. Opened in 1998, the Patricia Mackenzie Pavilion is now the largest shelter for women in Canada. To mark this historic milestone while beautifying their living space, MU produced a mural on the building’s two façades. Muralist Annie Hamel created this particularly feminine mural with the help of 6 young apprentices. The mural wishes to break the stigma associated with homelessness by :
— Embellishing the building within the area’s landscape while bringing vitality and renewal;
— Bringing pride and dignity back in the heart of the women in help;
— Reiterating to Montrealers the importance of the shelter’s services.
This mural will call to mind that homelessness among women is a priority, not an inevitability that should be hidden in gloomy buildings and that we can help give back dignity to these women.