The CSL Group has been honoured with a prestigious International Corporate Art Award for its engagement with urban artists in the creation of The Sea Keeper, a magnificent fresco painted on the Trillium Class bulk carrier CSL St-Laurent to celebrate Canada’s 150th and Montreal’s 375th anniversaries.
Selected among 80 companies representing 18 countries, CSL accepted the prize during an award ceremony held at Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism in Rome on November 22.
This award is truly a point of pride for us as it recognizes the unique collaboration that produced such a beautiful and inspiring work of art. Promoting local artists in our tribute to the anniversaries of Canada and Montreal was central to our vision for this project from the start. What better way to celebrate our cultural diversity than to involve urban artists who create artistic landscapes on the walls of our cities. Why not bring art to life on our waterways and in our ports with a mural on a ship?
Louis Martel, President and CEO of The CSL Group
The “Corporate Art Awards” were established in 2016 and are part of Italy’s “Mecenati del XXI secolo” or “21st Century Patrons” program. They were developed by pptArt in collaboration with the LUISS Business School and with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture to identify, recognize and promote excellence in corporate art patronage and collaboration at an international level.
According to Luca Desiata, Curator of the Corporate Art Awards, CSL’s project impressed the judges “for the original involvement of street artists in a moment of national celebration, and for the perfect integration between the technical skills of a corporate team and the artistic creativity of the artists.”
The Sea Keeper was conceived by Montreal artist Bryan Beyung and created with FONKi, Ankh One, and Benny Wilding of the A’shop art collective. Thanks to a close collaboration between the artists and CSL’s technical team, the monumental mural was completed in the Port of Montreal within three weeks in early 2017.
