Skip to content

Funding sought for plan that would see art in each ward in Orillia

Murals and temporary installations are among types of art desired by public; 'Interactive public art is high on the list of things people like to see'
StreetsAlive5
Dale Duncan’s Streets Alive sculpture featured a dragon. Mehreen Shahid/Village Media file photo

Residents have made their public art priorities known, and now an effort to seek funding to take the plan to the next step is underway.

The art in public places committee provided an update to city council Monday. It noted 408 people responded to a survey that was open from May to June.

The majority of respondents (164) were between 40 and 65 years old. Fifty-four were 21 or younger.

“It was really great to see that we were able to engage young people,” said Ninette Gyorody, executive director of the Orillia Museum of Art and History.

The survey asked what style or type of public art respondents would like to see in town. The top responses were murals, temporary/changing installations, graffiti, interactive, and diversity: Indigenous art and artists.

The top five locations identified as ideal for public art were downtown, parks and open spaces, waterfront, street furniture or amenities, and city facilities and buildings.

The committee’s next steps will include applying to the federal Tourism Relief Fund to help with completing the analysis of survey results, with the goal of creating a public art plan. It will also seek funding to create a work of art in each of the city’s four wards.

Coun. Tim Lauer noted the Streets Alive sculpture installations have been popular over the years and said he hopes something similar continues.

“Sculpture seems to fit with the attention span of the general public these days,” he said, noting it doesn’t require the commitment of, for example, going into galleries.

“Interactive public art is high on the list of things people like to see,” Jacqueline Surette, the city’s manager of culture, responded.

The Streets Alive concept is “touted as being something great that our city has to celebrate,” she said, adding the committee and staff will look more into it as part of the information-gathering process.


Comments

Verified reader

If you would like to apply to become a verified commenter, please fill out this form.




Nathan Taylor

About the Author: Nathan Taylor

Nathan Taylor is the desk editor for Village Media's central Ontario news desk in Simcoe County and Newmarket.
Read more