A project with global influence is trying to make its way into Canal Flats, with the assistance of the Headwaters Arts Society.

The Inside Out Art Project is the brainchild of the semi-anonymous French street artist known as JR.

Winner of the 2011 Technology Entertainment Design (TED) prize, the artist is best known for placing large-scale portraits in public places to draw attention to social issues. While the project may not have the same impetus in Canal Flats, Headwaters member Paula Cravens says that it’s a great opportunity to draw some attention to the village.

“We’re always trying to think of new ways to increase interest and draw people into Canal Flats,” Cravens said.

The way the project would work is that both artists and interested members of the general public would be asked to submit portraits, which would then be taken by the Headwaters Arts Society and transformed into extremely large scale art pieces that are placed on walls of prominent buildings around the town.

Initially, the society proposed a number of buildings to Canal Flats village council as potential sites. These include the wall of the community center, the wall of the fire hall and the dugout at the baseball field.

While council has yet to make a decision on the project, the society is hopeful that it could stimulate economic growth in the village using the contemporary installations.

“Inside Out is a large-scale participatory art project that transforms messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work,” the society’s letter to council reads.

“Everyone is challenged to use black and white photographic portraits to discover, reveal and share the untold stories and images of people around the world.”

For more information of the Inside Out Project, visit insideoutproject.net.