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Home My WebLink AboutCAO-16-024 - Bridgeport Community Centre Public Art REPORT TO:Community and Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING:September 12, 2016 SUBMITTED BY: Rod Regier, Executive Director, Economic Development, (519) 741-2200 ext.7506 PREPARED BY:Emily Robson, Coordinator, Arts and Culture, Economic Development (519) 741-2200 ext. 7084 WARD (S) INVOLVED: 1 DATE OF REPORT:August 26, 2016 REPORT NO.:CAO-16-024 SUBJECT: Bridgeport Community Centre Public Art ___________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATION: That the commission and installation of artwork at Bridgeport Community Centre,titled “Pieces of Light”, be approved; andfurther, That the Mayor and Clerk be authorised to execute an agreement, satisfactory to the City Solicitor, with Natalie Hunteroutlining the obligations of the community centre public art commission. BACKGROUND: The City of Kitchener’s public art program installs site-specific works of art at newly renovated andconstructed facilities such as community centres,libraries,fire stations, parking garages, and other civic buildings to which the public has access. These art works, to date, have been permanent installations, in a wide variety of styles and materials with a preference for innovation, responsiveness to the site and public engagement, as well as low-maintenance and durability. The Bridgeport Community Centreproject is eligible for public art through the City of Kitchener’s public art/percent for art program, guided by Public Art Policy I-816. Through this mechanism, 1% of the construction cost is allocated for the acquisition of public art. In 2010, in th celebration of its 40anniversary as a pillar of the community, a major construction project was undertaken at Bridgeport Community Centre. REPORT: Competition Staff worked with the Bridgeport Neighbourhood Association to solicit feedback from residents about their neighbourhood. A short questionnaire was circulated at the community centre and asked respondents what they felt makes Bridgeport unique. Using the results of this *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 7 - 1 consultation, staff developed a call for proposalsthat reflected the neighbourhood characteristics identified by respondents. Aone-stagepublic art competition was announced in April 2016.Fourapplicants were considered by the jury and one selected in late June 2016. Jury members were: Jon Johnson, Lauren Judge, Councillor Scott Davey, LindaHayward, Donelda Knapp, and Kirstan Howells. The jury selected the proposal “Pieces of Light” (Appendix “A”) by Natalie Hunteras the winning entry. The jury’s selection was supported in a motion by the Public Art Working Groupat its meeting on July 11, 2016followed by an endorsement by the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee on July 19, 2016. Jury Statement The selected artist,Natalie Hunter,has strong connections to Waterloo Region, originally through her MFA studies at University of Waterloo, and currently as Instructor of Digital Imaging in the Fine Art Department at University of Waterloo. Her proposal for Pieces of Light, an illuminated, translucent photographic public artwork on panels, uses light in both process and presentation to explore notions of memory, time, and space within the Bridgeport landscape and surrounding community. Natalie’s proposed artwork is both sophisticated and modern. It demonstrates sensitivity to the history of the community, recognition of Bridgeport’s changing demographics, appreciation of the area’s natural beauty, offers a compelling storytelling narrative, and enhances a sense of place atthe community centre. Location “Pieces of Light” will be produced as a translucent digital print and applied to clear acrylic panels which are illuminated from behind and are located on the front of the community centre, facing Tyson Drive. Installation The art work will be installed when outdoor conditions are appropriate in the early spring of 2017. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city’s strategic vision through the delivery of core service. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: This public art project is funded at the $15,000levelin accordance with Public Art Policy I-816. $10,000 is provided for the commissioned art work. Costs for administration, production, installation, andsignage will be covered from the consolidated accountand are estimated to be $5000. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM - Advertised, public call for proposals; - This report has been posted to the City’s website with the agenda in advance of the council / committee meeting; 7 - 2 CONSULT - Community centre users responded to questionnaires that inquired about their experience of the community. This information was integral to the call for proposals; - Public Art Working Group and Arts and Culture Advisory Committee endorse the jury selection; COLLABORATE - Public Art Working Group monitors the public art program, including providing input on the competition, feedback on the call for submissions, and siting; ENTRUST - A jury of artists and community members selected thesuccessful applicant by consensus ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Willmer, CAO 7 - 3 CAO-16-024 Bridgeport Community Centre Public Art Appendix A Pieces of Light Proposal by Natalie Hunter 2 pages 7 - 4 0±®¯®² « ¥®± "±¨£¦¤¯®±³ #®¬¬´¨³¸ #¤³±¤ 0´¡«¨¢ !±³ ¡¸ . ³ «¨¤ ( #®¢¤¯³ tz;-; E [zmw· is an illuminated, translucent photographic public artwork that and presentation to explore notions of memory, time, and space w surrounding community. Light, an essential ingredient in photogrphy, and a material I use frequently in my work, is used as a metaphor for memory, while activating phot from the surrounding community. The Bridgeport community is known for its proximity to the picturesque Grand River, its growth around the community's mill, and the community's sense of belonging and inclusivity. I plan to build on this reputation by source material for this public art project. In an effort to culcommunal engagement surrounding the project, I plan to walk through the Bridgeport c its people; collecting photographs and stories from neighbors anity members. The installation will function as a survey of cultural diversity, shared ideas, and unique differences that this c offers, while looking at place and its relationship to memory, cstorytelling. This public artwork will take form in 3 photographic panels thatry from the Bridgeport community. The layers are made from photographs print stacked, illuminated, re-photographed, and finally printed as the final works for the installation. The photographs will be illuminated so that the work is active at night and during the day. Using both analogue and digital technologies, I will use colour slide film with colour filters to produce transparent images of the surrounding community and landscape. T scanned and processed with digital imaging software, re-printed on transparent film, layered on-top of a light-box, and re-photographed with digital photography. The resultant images beco illuminated, jewel-like, layered experiences that attempt to translate my personal experiences of the Bridgeport community into a filtered representation that can be community. Layers of photographs on transparent film blend past narratives and stories, history and time, space and place, to provoke an emotive response i and take on new meaning for the community. Resembling a film str spectrum, my goal with this public artwork is to encourage multinings so that viewers can bring their own shared experiences to the artwork; thereby respo stories. This project lends greatly to my artistic practice as I use ligh storytelling regularly in my artwork. The opportunity to participate in the cultural diver community, and share in this community's future cultural growth years to come. As an emerging artist with a deep connection to tregion, granting me the opportunity to produce tz;-; E [zmw· will allow me to connect with both people and place outside of a gallery context and engage the community through public art. 7 - 5 0±®¥¤²²¨® « 1´ «¨¥¨¢ ³¨®² Natalie Hunter is a multidisciplinary artist working with photography, light, installation, and sculpt Her poetic, introspective, and emotive installations explore mem materiality, and the fragility of lived experience. She holds an MFA from the University of Waterloo, and a Bachelor of Art in Visual Art with a Concentration in Curatorial Studies from Brock University (First several awards including the Keith and Winifred Shantz Internshiin Fine Arts, Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and a President's Graduate S Waterloo. She has shown in Canada and the United States in sever Hamilton Supercrawl, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, University of Waterloo Art Gallery, Thames Art Gallery, Rodman Hall Arts Centre, Mississauga Living Arts Centre Dartmouth College, the Art Gallery of Windsor, Centre 3 for Prin Centre. In 2016, she will be included in a group show titled /w©mÒ; at Museum London in London, Ontario. She currently teaches Digital Imaging at the University 7 - 6