Temporary Public Art Program
Call for 2025 Temporary Public Art now open
Deadline for submissions: 11:59pm, August 11, 2024. For details on how to apply see Call for 2025 Temporary Public Art .
The Temporary Public Art Program offers artists of diverse backgrounds and skillsets the opportunity to create artwork for public spaces in Nanaimo. Artists can propose artworks that vary in scale, scope, and medium, including temporary sculptural installations, social practice and community engaged artist projects and artwork that is integrated into landscape, architecture or civic infrastructure.
The Temporary Public Art Program supports artists in the creation of new works, by providing necessary resources and staff support through the course of project development and realization.
Temporary Public Art 2024
Robert Turriff, Re-wilders
"Re-wilders" by Robert Turriff will involve the creation of a collection of sculptural creatures, the shape and form of which will be developed through community workshops. Inspired by themes in science fiction, the creatures will symbolically engage
in plant management, demonstrating tasks like invasive plant removal and native plant cultivation, thereby fostering resilience to climate change and encouraging beneficial environmental habitats. The creatures serve as catalysts meant to inspire
the community, illustrating practical steps for future land stewardship. Free community workshops will enhance the project, helping the artist craft the creatures form and mythos, and in doing so, evoking a sense of environmental responsibility. This
collaborative effort encourages the community to actively contribute to the project, inspiring action for a sustainable ecosystem in Nanaimo. “Re-Wilders” will be installed in Colliery Park in 2024 and on display for public engagement
and enjoyment for up to five years.
Temporary Public Art - Past Years
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2023 Projects
Temporary Public Art 2023
David Martinello, Compelling Agency
David Martinello large-scale sculpture, "Compelling Agency", found adjacent to the intersection of Fitzwilliam and Wallace Streets, draws attention to the connective value that humans have to wood as a resource. The artist’s intention with his artwork is to have the viewer thoughtfully evaluate their relationship to wood and, in turn, their relationship to their environment while they observe the natural weathering and evolution of this intriguing structural piece during its years on display.
Amber Morrison & Matthew Fox, Moon Snail House
Artists, Amber Morrison, and Matthew Fox, will captivate passersby with the interactive artwork, "Moon Snail House". The design of the structure will invite admirers to explore this visually appealing, large-scale interactive sculpture. Educational signage will provide information about the Lewis’ moon snail (neverita lewisii) and the intertidal zones of the Salish Sea. Installation planned to take place in spring 2024.
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2022 Projects
Temporary Public Art 2022
Curtis Grahauer, Millstone
Millstone, an interactive media project by artist, Curtis Grahauer consists of six films accessed using personal devices and QR codes found on signs located throughout Bowen Park (Nanaimo, BC). Filmed in a variety of dynamic locations over the course of a year, this project captures the life of the Millstone River as it ebbs and flows, ever-changing in resilient transformation. The artist’s long-term observations are compressed into shorter form, highlighting subtle changes in the surrounding environment that might otherwise be overlooked. Meaningful understanding requires that we slow down and reflect in quiet contemplation, observing the seasonal changes of the river, while absorbing the rhythms and beats of nature.
Jesse Gray, Chimes for the South End
This new sculpture work, to be located in Deverill Square GYRO Park (installation planned to take place in spring 2024), will use locally-collected plastic trash that will be cast into bronze chimes. Once on view, the chimes can be activated as an interactive sound sculpture.
Questions?
Find out more about the process! Contact us directly at 250-755-4483 or cultureandevents@nanaimo.ca.
Don't miss an opportunity to get involved in upcoming Public Art projects with the City of Nanaimo. Subscribe to receive Love Arts Nanaimo Updates and follow us on Instagram at @prc_nanaimo to stay up to date!
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Last updated: June 24, 2024
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