Murals and Signs

Dartmouth is full of the most amazing artwork. All on buildings! Murals are everywhere and a day walking around Dartmouth yielded a camera full of images. Halifax also has its own incredible murals but for now I will concentrate on the Dartmouth side and feature a few of my favourites. Some have been painted over to make way for new ones but you will get a sense of this fabulous artwork. Not all artwork is identified but I will identify those that I can.

One of the most iconic murals in Dartmouth, this one is on the side of Moffatt’s Pharmacy, established in 1924. The building has now been torn down and the pharmacy has relocated to the ground floor of a new building that has been built right next door. The typeface used for the words Moffatt’s Pharmacy is ITC Benguiat Bold, designed by Ed Benguiat and first released in 1977.

A very new mural on the Harbour trail in Dartmouth. This one is unique as it was painted to commemorate a Dartmouth native, rap artist, Pat Stay who was killed in Halifax in 2022 Beautiful!

This sign no longer exists but I wanted to include it because it speaks to a Dartmouth that no longer exists. The company had to relocate when it’s present location was demolished to make way for a condo. This was a business that actually fixed vacuum cleaners but sadly it closed shortly after it relocated.

This is the ‘Neon’ mural designed by Philadelphia-based artists Sasha Anistratova and David Guinn. Not really neon but LED bulbs which alternate colours.

Designed by Jake Siebert of Talking Wall Designs to look like a classic postcard, this mural incorporates iconic images of Dartmouth, including the geese at Sullivan’s Pond, the red-and-white smoke stakes at Tuft’s Cove, rowing on Lake Banook and a transit ferry.

Another beautiful mural in downtown Dartmouth. Named ‘Marisa’, this was created by Ottawa-based artist Dan Metcalfe and local artist Christian Toh.

Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission Murals

These murals quietly appeared on the side of buildings and other unexpected places in 2020 in the midst of the Covid epidemic. They were designed to lift our spirits and perhaps motivate us to take care of each other. The local Downtown Business Commission commissioned Fathom Studio to design and install them. There are 14 of them around town and I only have photos of eight. I will be doing another walkabout to see where the others are. On the ‘All together’ sign you will notice a man holding a heart and a maple leaf. I am pretty sure it was not part of the original design but I love it and it really fits with the words so I left it in. The typeface used is Larken, designed by Ellen Luff from the UK.