BUMP brightens up Calgary's street patios with 30 new mural barriers

They're bright, they're beautiful and they're helping make Calgary's street patios just a bit safer.

That's the mission behind the latest project undertaken by the Beltline Urban Mural Project, or BUMP,which puts on a mural festival each year in August. It haspartneredwith the City of Calgary's roads department for this new initiative.

Local mural artists have been commissioned to paintlarge "jersey barriers" to help protect Calgary'spatiosas they spill out on roadways this summer to allow for pandemic social distancing.

"The Beltline Urban Murals Project has added colour and vibrancy to the neighbourhood for several years now," said BUMP murals director Julia Schreiber in a release.

"I'm thrilled that BUMP was able to collaborate with various City of Calgary departments on Road Works Series to provide opportunity to artists, who have been some of the hardest hit during the pandemic. The painted barriers will provide a unique blend of safety and excitement to the patios in our most concentrated commercial areas."

CBC'sAngela Knight interviewed one of the artists, high school graduate Abigail Osness, andPeter Oliver from theBeltline Neighbourhoods Association, for Friday's Calgary Eyeopener.

"We painted over 50 murals across the city to date, and this adds another 30," said Oliver. "We also launched as part of the Road Works Series two container parklets in partnership with the Calgary parks department."

Check out what some of the murals look like as they were painted and where they found homesin the photos below, or send us your photos if you see them while out and about to calgaryphotos@cbc.ca.