The Story of our Mural; How the Charming Lady was Saved!

Head to Toe Health Centre’s mural vandalized!

I arrived at work a few weeks ago to find the charming lady who adorns the east wall of the Head to Toe Health Centre covered in a large purple blob. The mural has become an iconic art piece in Kensington since it was painted in 2009 and the focus of many photos, including a layout in National Geographic in 2013. I was very disappointed to see the mural so easily and thoughtlessly vandalized, but I chalked it up to another one of those bumps in life’s road that you just have to ride through and ‘make the best of’, so to speak.

To my surprise, later that same afternoon, we received a phone call from the Crown Attorney’s office – they had caught the taggers on another defacing job, hauled them into court, and were prepared to have them pay for the reparations, if we could come up with an estimate within forty-eight hours, that is. I scrambled to get in touch with Misha Hunter – the individual who first approached me about the project many years ago, and the deal was done – thank you Crown Attorney!

The following week I received a series of bank drafts from the purple blob taggers – apparently they were from out of province – and Misha, Ryan, and Alex were given an opportunity to revive their work of art and save the damsel from the purple haze. I am forever hopeful that we will each demonstrate respect and consideration for the work of others. And if that is not enough for some, then there’s always the courtroom! I am grateful that justice was served and the damsel’s dignity restored.

Written by Dr Karen Hack, ND, RP

The restoration of the Head to Toe Health Centre’s mural