One of the photographs from Behind the Mask

Image Credit: Vernon Public Art Gallery

Twice as many people are in favour of moving ahead with the controversial Vernon public art exhibit Behind the Mask than those that oppose it, a public consultation has found.

According to a report put out by the Vernon Public Art Gallery, 65 per cent of those who took part in the consultation support the Behind the Mask murals project, with 30 per cent disapproving of the idea.

Just over 300 people answered the question about whether they favoured the public art project during the gallery public consultation period.

While not everybody agreed the murals should be displayed across buildings in Vernon, the vast majority, 71 per cent, agreed the Behind The Mask project had initiated conversations around mental health and the community.

The Behind the Mask project is the brainchild of Calgary-based artist Katie Green who netted a $55,000 Canada Arts Council grant to produce the project.

From there, the artists formed workshops with individuals from Vernon who used masks to explore the theme of mental health.

Green then photographed the individuals wearing their masks. The 11 photographs were displayed at the Vernon Public Art Gallery and were scheduled to be turned into murals and placed around Vernon over five years.

Council originally approved the $33,000 project but following public pressure did a U-turn.

READ MORE: Behind the Mask: Vernon's 'scary' murals don't actually scare children

Much of that pressure came after Sharmay Taylor launched a petition against what she called the "awful" murals which incorrectly stated the artists weren't local.

To date, more than 4,000 people have signed the online petition.

A counter-petition was promptly launched by Kimberly Fuller which garnered 1,600 signatures.

While Taylor's petition says the murals are "scary for children" the gallery disagreed.

Vernon Public Art Gallery director Dauna Kennedy previously told iNFOnews that plenty of school children from kindergarten to grade 8 had visited the exhibition and were curious, not scared.

According to the gallery's report, 59 per cent of people that visited the gallery said viewing the exhibition in person had changed their perspective of the project and the participants.

Almost a quarter, 23 percent, said they weren't in favour of the project before and visiting the exhibit did not change how they felt.

Vernon Public Art Gallery is scheduled to present its report to Vernon council Monday, July 18.

READ MORE: JONESIE: Public art exposes politicians for who they really are

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