Local artists teamed up for a collaborative project to show their support for Mayor Gregor Robertson and Vision Vancouver with the launch of We Back the Juice Man website today.
"I had a really good chuckle about it this morning and thought it was extremely creative," Ian Baillie, Executive Director of Vision Vancouver, said.
“We wanted to do something to show our support for Mayor Robertson and Vision,” Sean Devlin, creative director of Truthfool Communications that created the s***harperdid.com website, said in a press release.
Comedians, film makers, writers and graphic artists put their heads together to create a site that will become "home" to projects created by local artists and performers in Vancouver. They did it not only to show their support for Vision but also to highlight why they won’t be supporting the NPA on November 19.
"It feels great when groups go out of their way to create a sort of grassroots support and this is just another example of group of folks that have appreciated the leadership of Vision on the arts, and I think this is them showing they want to make sure that there's another three years of Vision Vancouver," Baillie said.
In the press release, Devlin went on to say how he went the conventional route of door-knocking in 2008 and wanted to "contribute more creatively this time around."
"We're doing that while simultaneously developing a space for others to make creative contributions," Devlin said.
Okay, so Vision likes it. But will the mayor be okay with being called the "Juice Man"?
"The mayor has a great sense of humour, and he's obviously very proud of his business background -- starting Happy Planet and watching it succeed into a fairly substantial company at this point," Baillie said.
"I'm sure that mayor is going to take a look at this and have a good laugh and thank them for their support."
Here's more from the We Back the Juice Man press release:
The contributors to webackthejuiceman.ca are also organizing a timeraiser for Vision Vancouver, an innovative event whereby people can bid on items donated from local artists by offering to volunteer their time on Mayor Robertson’s campaign. The timeraiser will be taking place on Monday, October 24, at the Waldorf Hotel.
“A timeraiser is a great way to reach out to younger people to get involved in local politics, and at the same time give profile to Vancouver’s artists,” Cam Reed, a contributor to webackthejuiceman.ca and festival director of Music Waste and the Victory Square Block Party, said in the press release.
“We care about Vancouver’s future and support the direction Mayor Robertson is leading the city. The fact that the NPA are running a campaign entirely on anger only reinforces why we want to help Mayor Robertson get re-elected.”