Red Dress Art Installation Leads To Residency In France For Peterborough Artist

A community art project that began at the Peterborough Public Library has led to an international opportunity for local artist Ash Street, whose Red Dress installation has been selected as part of an artist residency in France. 

photo courtesy of peterborough public library, facebook.

Street has been accepted into the Atelier Artist in Residency program, a two-week international residency running from Feb. 2 to 16 in Normandy, France.

Created in recognition of Red Dress Day, Canada’s National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people (MMIW), the Red Dress installation invites the public to pause and reflect on the lives lost and the voices that continue to call for justice.   

Working in partnership with the Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre, Street created the initial piece in the Downie Wenjack Legacy Space at the Peterborough Public Library. Street invited community members to fill in open spaces on the dress with donated textiles and materials on hand. The exhibit is now on display in the main foyer of City Hall at 500 George St. N. 

“Inviting people to share in the process and engage in conversation has been at the heart of this work. That collective experience is what carried this project forward and ultimately opened the door to sharing these stories on an international stage,” Street said. “I am grateful to the City of Peterborough and the Peterborough Public Library for offering me a space and the opportunity to create and share my work with the community. I would also like to thank Jaime Black-Morsette, a Métis artist, activist and creator of the MMIW red dress movement, who has inspired me to create the pieces I have made thus far.”

The residency program expressed interest in both the artistic merit of Street’s work and the broader community conversations it has generated, particularly around what MMIW means to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences. 

“The Red Dress installation is a powerful reminder of our shared responsibility to honour the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and to continue the work of listening, learning and acting,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “By supporting this exhibit and the artist behind it, the City is helping create space for truth, reflection and community dialogue. We are proud to see a project rooted in community care and participation reach an international audience.”

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Peterborough Public Art Program Calling For 'Indoor-Outdoor' Project Art Submissions

The City of Peterborough Public Art Program is reminding artists in the community that the deadline for ‘Indoor-Outdoor’ art project submissions is Dec. 15 at 4 p.m.

File Photo.

The two-stage public art project plans to integrate artwork created by local artists into City spaces such as parks, recreation facilities and downtown City Hall. Stage one (Indoor) will be completed early next year and stage two (Outdoor) will be completed later in the year.

The program is looking for new, recent or past two-dimensional original works to be considered for the program. A selection committee will discuss each application and select four artworks; considering artistic merit, relevance and feasibility. The commission value for each artwork is $4,500.

The four selected artworks will be installed and displayed for twelve to eighteen months at either City Hall, Kinsmen Civic Centre, Healthy Planet Arena or the Sport and Wellness Centre, rotating the works between sites at the end of each term.

The Indoor artworks will be mounted on the main foyers of each facility.

More information about the project can be found on the City’s Public Art website.

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‘Indoor-Outdoor’ Public Art for Public Facilities Project Seeking Art Submissions

The City of Peterborough Public Art Program is inviting artists to submit two-dimensional artworks for consideration as new public art installations at municipal facilities and community spaces across the City announced on Monday.

File Photo.

Indoor-Outdoor is a two-stage public art project that will integrate artwork created by local artists into City spaces such as parks, recreation facilities and downtown City Hall. Stage one (Indoor) will be completed early next year and stage two (Outdoor) will be completed later in the year.

The project is being administered through the City of Peterborough Public Art Program, in accordance with a resolution of Council in November 2021 on the funding of public art and is open to professional artists and cultural practitioners living in the City and County of Peterborough, Hiawatha First Nation or Curve Lake First Nation. The commission value for each artwork is $4,500.   

The program seeks new, recent or past original works for indoor facilities. A selection committee will discuss each application and select four artworks; considering artistic merit, relevance and feasibility.

The City’s intentions with this project is to “enrich these spaces and people’s exposure to art by bringing art to places where people frequent,” and allow the art pieces to “speak to the spirit of sport and consider the inherent relationship between beauty and skill,” according to a press release.

The four selected artworks will be installed and displayed for twelve to eighteen months at either City Hall, Kinsmen Civic Centre, Healthy Planet Arena or the Sport and Wellness Centre, rotating the works between sites at the end of each term.

The Indoor artworks will be mounted on the main foyers of each facility.

Submissions for the Indoor-Outdoor project close on Dec. 15, at 4 p.m. All submissions must be completed online. More information about the project can be found on the City’s Public Art webpage.

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New Public Art Installation To Be Viewed and Celebrated at Jackson Park

The public art installation Handwritten Moon will be displayed at Jackson Park on Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Photo courtesy of The County of Peterborough.

Handwritten Moon is a collaboration between the sculptor Garrett “Owen” Gilbart who fabricated the artwork, and poet Justin Million who wrote the text.

The piece was commissioned as an artist-initiated project through the City of Peterborough’s Public Art Program.

In daylight the reflective text piece takes on hues found in the nearby landscape. On a clear night it reflects the moon. Handwritten Moon also responds to flash photography or a flashlight, and the public is encouraged to bring flashlights or headlamps to experience the piece.

The event will be held rain or shine at Jackson Pond near the Pagoda bridge in Jackson Park.

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Check Out The New Interactive Art Installation In Downtown Peterborough

There is a new public space at the corner of King and Water streets in downtown Peterborough that is open to the public. The DBIA encourages people to get up-close with the art pieces and the native plants, and enjoy the space.

Formerly an underused paved area, this piece of land has been transformed into green space in partnership with GreenUP and other community partners. This site houses two beautiful art installations as part of the Jiimaan’ndewemgadnong* (the place where the heart of the canoe beats) Canoe Art Project. The art canoe and transformer box art in the park are the work of Indigenous artist Tia Cavanagh.  

Indigenous artist Tia Cavanagh poses with her creation (photo courtesy DBIA)

While visiting the site—the art installations there were generously funded by Kim and Mark Zippel—you can call 705-775-7826 to listen to canoe stories told by three local Anishinaabe women. 

“This project is a beautiful addition to our downtown and has transformed that corner to create a small park with some interesting and engaging art,” says Terry Guiel, Executive Director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area.

The site was transformed into a pocket park last year with the help of community volunteers, local organizations and businesses. If you are interested in being part of future projects or to learn more, contact Dawn Pond via email here or check out the Downtown Vibrancy webpage.

*This name was born of community discussion and translated beautifully in to the local Mizi-Zaagiing Anishinaabeg dialect of Ojibwe by Jack Hoggarth (Cultural Archivist at Curve Lake Cultural Centre) and Mary Alice Taylor (Elder of Curve Lake First Nation).

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