Three brewery silos in Chilliwack have been 鈥榖eautifully transformed鈥� into colourful pieces of public art that can be seen from Highway 1.

That was how Fred Landtmeters, president and CEO of Molson Coors Canada, described the 33-foot high silos now wrapped with brightly coloured pieces of artwork by Silvana Kulyk of Chilliwack.

鈥楪ifts of Nature鈥� was unveiled on Thursday, June 9 at the Molson Coors Beverage Company Fraser Valley Brewery. It can be seen on the north side of Highway 1, just east of Vedder Road.

鈥淲e believe this piece, in this particular location, will provide a buzz around the community and the hearts of all who pass by on Highway 1,鈥� said City of Chilliwack councillor Sue Knott, chair of the public art advisory committee. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great thing for Chilliwack.鈥�

She called the design 鈥渟triking.鈥�

Due to the silos鈥� highly visible location, the city worked with Molson Coors to facilitate this public art opportunity. The city received 22 submissions from the public art call-out and Kulyk鈥檚 work was approved on March 15.

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The committee felt 鈥楪ifts of Nature鈥� was 鈥渧ibrant, symmetrical, displayed motion and perspective, tells a story, and represents Chilliwack,鈥� the city stated in the June 10 press release.

鈥淟ooking at these silos, which have been beautifully transformed by Kulyk鈥檚 vision, we see the Fraser River. We see locally grown hops and corn,鈥� Landtmeters said. 鈥淲e also see a thriving arts scene and a community willing to think outside the box to make things better.鈥�

The artwork features various landscapes typical for the Fraser Valley: the left silo reveals farming scenery with hops in the foreground, the middle is a mountain with a flowing river, and the right showcases the abundance of forests in the valley with corn in the foreground.

It is the largest piece of artwork that Kulyk has ever done. It was created digitally, then sent to a local printer and printed on several pieces of vinyl. This past week, the silos were wrapped in the strips of vinyl, much like a puzzle.

She said she was 鈥渧ery thrilled and happy鈥� with the result.

鈥淚t looks so seamless you can鈥檛 really tell. They did a great job with that,鈥� Kulyk said. 鈥淚 hope people are going to enjoy it and it鈥檚 going to have a good impact on the city.鈥�

Her artwork includes children鈥檚 illustrations, video game art and murals. One of her other major projects was creating 11 murals for BC Children鈥檚 Hospital in 2017 and 2020.

Both Landtmeters and David Hamel, general manager at Molson Coors鈥� Fraser Valley Brewery, said the brewery and the city have a collaborative partnership.

鈥淢olson Coors has a long, proud history of supporting and uniting the communities in which we operate,鈥� Hamel said.

Landtmeters echoed his comment.

鈥淛ohn Molson said 鈥榃e are all members of a larger community which depends on everyone playing a part.鈥� He said that back in 1786.鈥�

This artwork will continue the legacy of the brewery鈥檚 founder and, in turn, keep the company connected to the community, Landtmeters added.

鈥淲e are pleased to support the city鈥檚 commitment to making spaces more vibrant and fostering civic pride with public art by providing our silos as a canvas for the artist to display a truly Chilliwack piece,鈥� Hamel said.