Jason Botkin — mural artist
Murals change our perception of the world, transforming our experience of a space forever when we encounter public art.
Murals help us understand our world in transformationally poetic ways. This is especially true when they are used as tools for healing and inspiration.
For me, the process is always far more important than the final product.
ON THE ROAD
In 2021 I made a decision to live nomadically. I surrendered home and most earthly possessions, in order to move freely from project to project, place to place. The strings are now broken.
Doing so has created profound opportunities for personal growth. Instability is no longer a cause for alarm, but an increasingly valuable travel companion.
LABORATORIES OF AUTONOMY
The mountains of British Columbia became my ‘home’ for nearly two years.
I traded paint brushes for other tools. I am learning how to grow food, raise animals, fix cars, and deepen my connection to communities who practice resilience.
Often called “farms,” these landing spots became ‘laboratories of autonomy’. Here, I could put into practice all that I had learned from working with First Nation Peoples for many years.
STANDING TALL
To stand with authority, one must first become the author of their own experience.
Practicing autonomy means to take conscious control over the narrative(s) of life.
The pages on this site tell my story. It is a work in progress. Each of us has our own.
I have the power to write its direction. Only when I own the responsibility and gift can I truly stand tall.
BECOMING AN ARTIST OF CHANGE
Dis-ease, recovery from, and voluntary simplicity have led me to a greater appreciation for the present moment, and a far deeper connection with the natural world.
Each new moment presents opportunities for creative expression and change. This is what it means to become an artist of change.
SHARED CREATIVITY
I no longer make art for art’s sake. I am creating, collecting, and telling stories. When I share these narratives, they actively reshape the way others perceive and understand their own experience of life.
This is shared creativity.
My life has become a canvas. I continuously paint upon this surface, giving vision to a future I wish to step into and experience. I no longer close my eyes to sleep, but so that I can see.
REAL GOLD
I was born in Denver, raised in Winnipeg. The son of a minister, to a small Protestant church, my heroes were missionaries. Through acts of faith, they seemed to defy all reason, yet their needs were eternally met.
My mother is a writer, and beautifully embodies the words shared above.
Amidst clouds of dragonflies keeping mosquitoes at bay, we spent long summer nights soaking up music at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
On these grassroot plains, beneath an upturned bowl of blue prairie sky, was my first real bite of shared creativity. Mucisians from every corner of the globe speaking in a universal collaborative language through their craft, played a big role in leading me down the path I’m now on. The MainStage shows were the big draw, but it was digging around in the ‘workshops’ where one mined the real gold.
Bio
Denver-born artist Jason Botkin is known for his urban and public arts. He has created over 200 murals worldwide and exhibited his work across the U.S., Canada, Asia, and Europe.
En Masse project — exploring shared creativity
In 2009, his formation and on-going direction of the EN MASSE project marked an intense exploration into issues of shared creativity, community building, and cultural leadership.
EN MASSE (EM) is a multi-artist collaborative drawing project that mirrors our deeply human need for belonging, affirmation, and inspiration. It does this by creating highly spontaneous, large-scale collaborative black and white drawings and public installations.
Arista — Jeunne chamber de commerce du Montréal
In 2015, Jason was awarded the ARISTA grand prize by the Jeunne Chambre de Commerce du Montreal in their “Jeune travailleur autonome du Québec” category, recognizing him as one of the best young entrepreneurial businesspeople.
PangeaSeed foundation
Jason is an international ambassador and consultant to the Hawaii-based PangeaSeed Foundation. Their mission is to harness the power of art, science, and creativity in generating awareness and inspiring positive change around pressing ocean environmental issues.
In 2016, Jason spearheaded and co-produced the “The Love Letter Project,” Toronto’s first international freshwater presentation of PangeaSeed’s “SeaWalls: Murals for Oceans”. The project featured the work of over 22 local and international artists. SeaWalls is a groundbreaking nomadic public art festival. It brings the oceans into the streets around the world, working with some of today’s most renowned contemporary artists to create large-scale murals addressing environmental issues.
GGCLC — leadership Canada
In 2017, Jason received a life-changing invitation to participate in the coveted Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference. Subsequent to this invitation, he embarked on a very serious approach to reconciliation with multiple First Nation communities throughout Canada.
His projects are a symbol of community connection, encouraging right relations with Indigenous artists and communities.
“Members of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference come from different regions of Canada, different perspectives and different careers. They share one thing in common. All are high-potential individuals that will achieve senior leadership positions in their organizations and communities.
The Canadian leadership conferences began in 1983 as a means to help build Canada. This involves a unique process of examination, debate and discovery. It is designed to broaden perspectives and enhance the leadership qualities of members.”
The power of public art and murals
Jason deeply commits to ensuring everyone can access public art.
Public art has the capacity to go beyond museums, present in our streets, parks, and public spaces.
This approach helps us become more comfortable with his unconventional work. Art can, and perhaps must challenge our perceptions of everyday life and the world around us.
