$110K OK’d for South Surrey sports box mural

'Vibrant' design of Vancouver artist Ali Bruce supported

$110K OK’d for South Surrey sports box mural Published 12:35 pm Thursday, July 16, 2026 Surrey council has given a thumbs-up to artwork that will adorn a covered sports box that’s being developed for South Surrey Athletic Park. Designed by Ali Bruce, the public art will grace opaque panels of the outdoor facility, which “will provide an all-season outdoor amenity for multiple sports groups, including box lacrosse, ball hockey, and other activities,” a corporate report states. “The Covered Sports Box will provide weather protection over a high-quality sport court, enabling sports groups to host high-level games and practices regardless of weather conditions.”

A $4.17-million contract for the sports box – to be built at the south end of the athletic park, between the parking lot adjacent to Semiahmoo Secondary and Field 3 – was awarded last year to Surrey-based Liberty Contract Management Inc. At the time, it was anticipated to be complete by the end of July 2026. It’s currently listed as one of the city’s ‘under construction’ projects.

Meanwhile, officials with the city’s parks department brought Bruce’s design to council on the recommendation of the arts and culture advisory committee, which reviewed 10 concept proposals submitted for the commission. Bruce, a Vancouver resident, has completed numerous murals across the Lower Mainland, the report notes. Her “vibrant” design for the sports box “is an abstracted landscape featuring forms inspired by the sky, mountains and ocean, intersecting with elements of trees, roots and rolling terrain.”

Funded through the public art program, total costs of the project are $110,000, including artist fees, design development, engineering, fabrication, installation and maintenance.