Vandalism on Hannah Shkolny's artwork (Top R - Hannah at age 10, Bottom R - Hannah at age 16)

By Erika Rolling

Community

Good samaritan cleans vandalism on local teen artists work, auction underway

Sep 27, 2022 | 10:31 AM

An act of vandalism has been turned around for the better thanks to a good samaritan in Grande Prairie.

Around six years ago, Hannah Shkolny was just 10 years old and submitted her artwork to be used in the City of Grande Prairie through a contest.

Hannah’s painting “Loon On A Lake” was selected as a featured piece of artwork to be showcased on one of the utility boxes throughout the City.

Jennifer says they no longer live in the City, but rather in the County, and in recent times there has been vandalism to her daughter’s artwork.

“A couple things have happened. There was one day when there was a little graffiti on it and it was taken off… but it wasn’t like the last bit.”

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“She was really upset, we had driven by and it was completely defaced,” Jennifer says about Hannah seeing the large blue graffiti on Friday, September 23.

A Facebook post by Hannah’s mother, Jennifer Shkolny was made in a local Grande Prairie forum group showing the vandalism and expressing her disappointment. The post received over 550 reactions.

Member of the group, Glyn Gruner read the post and decided to do something about it:

Screenshot on Jennifer’s original Facebook post of the good samaritian that cleaned the vandalism

Jennifer says he did it out of the kindness of his own heart and was not paid to do so.

“It was pretty amazing to see our community stepped up.”

She says Hannah wants to pay it forward from the generous action of a stranger.

“We will take one of her prints of Loon On A Lake and auctioning it off and the funds will go to Hannah’s charity of choice – Into the Woods Animal Rescue.”

The auction for a print of Hannah’s artwork is happening until 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28, on a Sunflower & Swallow Facebook post (preview below).

The utility box with Hannah’s painting is on 116th Street.

Jennifer says apart from Hannah’s love of art, she is currently 16 years old and wants to go to school to become a veterinarian technician.