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The art of making Hamilton beautiful
The art of making Hamilton beautiful
Rob Faulkner
The Hamilton Spectator
(Nov 14, 2007)
The patrons have spoken.
And city hall was bowled over by the 250 sites people suggested as locations for public art as part of its 10-year master plan for city beautification.
A Hamilton first, the plan due in 2008 may bring the city murals, park benches, fountains, artistic lighting, picturesque walkways, historic bronzes ... the fine details are up to the artists.
Last night arts planners and consultants at the Parks Canada Discovery Centre shared results of surveys, forums and chats with staff about locations. The 250 ideas were trimmed to 14 priorities, using several criteria.
"There's a good variety of locations, not just in the core," said Patti Tombs, project manager of the public art master plan in the city culture department.
"Geographically, we get into Dundas and Binbrook. Some are intersections, some are parks. Battlefield is a historical site. So there's a good variety there."
So many people suggested city park sites that the city will plan art in parks separately. To trim the long list, consultants considered whether it was city land, its visibility, its space for art, its cultural significance and more.
"One I loved was (art) in all the traffic islands on York Boulevard," said city culture manager Anna Bradford. "The waterfront is there, and during (Sir Allan) MacNab's time it was all docks and sailing ships below Dundurn Castle."
One idea she said "gives me chills when I think about it." The idea was to put models of 19th century ships in the traffic islands, lit up at night, to teach history and enliven the gateway to the city.
Bradford, impressed by the interest in public art locally, wants to share with residents the history of Thomas B. McQuesten (1882-1948).
The famous politician and civic leader drew on ideas in the City Beautiful Movement to create landmarks like Gage Park, the High Level Bridge, and Cootes Paradise, Bradford said.
"They were all part of his vision of creating beautiful public places for all citizens that give them pride. And he tied it into economics, saying it would increase land values as well," she said.
Her message: Hamilton can resurrect that civic quest for beauty.
Informed by public input, the goal is for a draft public art master plan to go before city council in early 2008. It will plan more than locations, and will guide installations for years to come.
Bradford said she already has a guaranteed $250,000 a year in block funding for public art, and said public works projects will integrate public art in their budgets when possible.
"We will start slow and build up," she said, noting some public works projects would include bigger-ticket artwork.
Among the ideas bubbling around her office: art to mark the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812; finishing the Ottawa Street North parkette with the crafty theme; $100,000 to kick off a King William Street art walk; and possibly street furniture on Locke Street.
In the plan, public art is defined as art created by or with artists in public space with a process involving public input. It can be permanent or temporary, functional or aesthetic. It can stand alone, or be part of other city infrastructure, like bridges or sidewalks.
One prominent local example is at Pier 8, the towering sail and figures titled Rafaga Unleashed by artists Veronica and Edwin Dam De Nogales, which cost $230,000.
Priority sites
The 14 priority sites recommended for future public art installation:
* King William ARTwalk
* Ancaster Town Square
* Dundas Driving Park
* Pedestrian Crossing at the QEW and
* Red Hill Valley Parkway
* Battlefield Park in Stoney Creek
* Gage Park
* James Street South and North
* Waterfront Trail
* Red Hill Valley Trail
* Binbrook Fairground/Old Town Hall
* York Boulevard
* Hamilton City Hall
* King and James/Gore Park
* Fieldcote Museum in Ancaster
View existing local public art online at hamilton.ca/publicart
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