CreateSpace Public Art Forum Gallery
As part of the 2024 CreateSpace Public Art Forum, youth and emerging artists gained networking, mentorship, and public art skills through online artist talks and peer engagement. Participants created public art proposals in response to a mock Terms of Reference (TOR).
This online gallery features artist proposals for a site in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Terms of Reference (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
The Terms of Reference provided participants with a project brief, public art objectives, design considerations, artwork themes, community background, proposed location, and other proposal guidelines. This gallery showcases participants who designed public art sculptures in Lagimodière-Gaboury Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba (a 31.4 hectare park and site of the first Francophone settlement in Western Canada).
CreateSpace Public Art Forum participant mural proposals reflect the goals of:
- Aesthetic enhancement
- Community engagement
- Reflection of unique and historical identity
- Cultural history
- Long-term preservation
“I benefitted from this program because I had the opportunity to connect with people from across the country whose lived experiences I wouldn’t get to understand where I am. I got to step outside of the Toronto art scene that I am a part of and understand how the lived experience of those in very different places impacts differences in artistic practice.
CreateSpace Public Art Forum Participant Artwork
Hover over the image and click the arrow to see the public art proposals and the emerging artists who created an artistic response to the site location (Lagimodière-Gaboury Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba).
All credits and image rights go to the artists and their accompanying artwork.
Celebrating Connection by Cinnamonrelle (she/they)
Artist statement
The message I wanted to convey was expressing the impact of colonialism and turning it into something positive through art. This piece has a dance floor and a picnic table with art about the impact of colonialism and recipes for food on it. The mannequin depicts a person doing the Red River Jig which is a Métis dance and a person doing the Binatbatan, a Filipino folk dance.
Artist bio
Aerelle is a neurodivergent Filipina artist from Scarborough. They have an advanced diploma in graphic design from Centennial College. They paint and draw comics and characters. They create art that is inspired by cartoons, music, video games, and their own experiences and features a variety of subjects and themes, including their experiences as a second-generation immigrant. Their work inspires people to express themselves and make the world more connected and understanding.
Conversing in Clover by Chrrie (they/them)
Artist statement
‘Conversing in Clover’ is an invitation to reintegrate the importance of third spaces in our definition of closeness. It unites ancient and modern concepts of community collectivity. Here, two circles of comfort and care collide- the conversation pit, popularised in the 1970s, and the campfire, popularised in our evolution. Encircled in native red clover, a flame ignites folks to come closer to each other and the Earth we tread over.
Artist bio
I am a multidisciplinary, nonbinary, neurodivergent artist hailing from Oshawa. I create primarily to honour my inner child, to retaliate against arbitrary social systems, and to remind myself I am human. In this, my work is influenced largely by the intersection of my queerness and neurodivergence. It explores the flow of divergent human experience from outside of the rigid binary. I often lean into surrealism and occasionally fauvism, all through the fantastical. My work echoes my intersectional identity in its fluidity, playfulness, and often otherworldly whimsy. One of my most recurring pieces of subject matter is the ‘imaginary friend’. When I reach art block, I create a creature to connect me back to that tiny queer, neurodivergent child I once was and still hope to be.
While I love creating soft sculpture (primarily needle felted), pyrography in the cold months, and ceramics as a hobby, I do consider myself primarily a painter, whether it be gouache, oil or otherwise. As for my process, it’s chaos. In all aspects of my identity, I’m a “trust the process, ditch the reference, see what comes of it” kind of person. Art imitates life, after all!
Roots at the Waters Edge by Dhiviya Prabaharan
Artist statement
This piece, is inspired the natural landscape of flowing rivers, the way the carve out the soil, and when the water levels come down you can see the roots of the trees that grow at the waters edge. This is a design for a tapestry or series of tapestries that can be displayed at the park where the Assiniboine river and the Red river meet. It is made with batik, a wax resist dying process on fabric.
Artist bio
Dhiviya Prabaharan, is a multi-disciplinary artist and cultural worker based in tkronto, dish with one spoon treaty territory, with ancestral roots in tenkasi, tamil nadu and chulipuram + maviddapuram, yaalpaanam.
Creation manifests in their life in the many ways it is a tool for exploring self, memory, healing, mysticism, and contentedness to home, land and sovereignty. They engage in a sacred and intuitive creative process centred on play, using a variety of mediums, including textiles, metalworking, woodworking, pen and ink, illustration, digital and film photography, videography and movement.
Dhiviya is currently an undergraduate student in material art and design (MAAD) at OCAD University.
Sarv /سرو by Hamideh Behgar (she/her)
Artist statement
“Sarv” (سرو in Farsi) is an art project exploring identity and home through Persian carpet designs. It embodies STEPS Public Art’s mission, showcasing red, interactive sculptures that transform public spaces with motifs from Persian carpets, symbolizing identity and home. As a female immigrant in Winnipeg, I draw on the cypress’s vitality to engage communities, fusing artistic freedom with cultural narratives and inviting reflection within our collective environment.
Artist bio
Hamideh Behgar is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Winnipeg, Canada; she holds a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from the University of Applied Science & Technology in Kish, Iran, in 2019 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Manitoba School of Art, awarded in 2023. Her artistic pursuits span various mediums, primarily focusing on sculpture, photography, and design while also delving into stop-motion animation and screen printing. Recently, she has incorporated AI into her artistic practice and designs. Growing up in a society that often constrains individual freedoms with predefined norms, Hamideh draws inspiration from her childhood imagination, emphasizing unrestrained creativity and play.
Hamideh’s artistic perspective centers on exploring various facets of human experiences and emotions, particularly the concept of freedom of choice and the challenge to societal norms. Her dedication to celebrating creativity, liberation, and the limitless possibilities in self-discovery and resilience is evident throughout her work.
Beyond personal experiences, her art reflects the boundless potential of the human imagination, emphasizing the interplay between chance, play, and creativity to facilitate unhindered artistic expression. Her Master of Fine Arts degree focused on creating toy-like sculptures with tactile and interactive qualities, exemplified in her recent exhibition Embracing Imperfection. Hamideh encourages audiences to explore uncharted realms of thought and emotion through her art, prompting a connection with their fantasies and advocating for freedom, creativity, and play.
Interwoven by 2 Birds
Artist statement
Interwoven is a representation of how deeply connected and intersectional every element of history and culture are- both generally speaking, and in the City of Winnipeg. The structure would serve as a place for people to gather and rest, and tells a story about the land it sits on, and of the perseverance of Metis culture throughout time and long into the future.
Artist bio
2 BIRDS is a self-taught Afro-indigenous artist with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Alberta. Working primarily in the realm of community service and EDI-based work, he is interested in the connection between making art, healing trauma, and building community. Jay works with multiple mediums but particularly enjoys working with ceramics and inks. Visually, he is inspired by global folklore, mythology, and tattoo art and culture.
Flow/aabijijiwan/fleuve by Jia Yi Fan
Artist statement
The sculpture is a reference to the infinity symbol on the Métis flag while its hourglass shape stands for time passing and the lasting presence of francophone and Métis peoples. Franco-Manitoban words from the Lexique de manitobismes (Franco-Manitoban lexicon) made of inlaid colored glass flow all over the larger concrete structure as if transported by the nearby Seine and Red Rivers.
Artist bio
Jia Yi Fan is a mapping and environmental professional by day and a multidisciplinary artist by night. Making people smile unknowingly and inspiring them make up Jia Yi’s motivation, thus, she uses art to tell underrepresented stories and to make knowledge more accessible. She co-founded The QuArtz Cluster, a Queer & Trans Asian youth artist collective based in Tkaronto/Toronto, to create safe(r) community-oriented spaces for emerging artists and to provide opportunities for collaboration, learning and leadership.
Ours by Manny Travers (he/him)
Artist statement
“Ours” is a sculptural piece that reflects on the history of Canada while providing a sheltered communal space for passersby. The title is bilingual, the French version referring to the creatures that roam the space around us, and the English version to acknowledge what may or may not belong to us. “Ours” behaves both as a permanent land acknowledgement and an ever-giving structure of protection.
Artist bio
Manny Travers (he/him/il) is a bilingual, queer, multidisciplinary artist of Acadian and Lebanese descent from Wolastoq (Fredericton) living in Menaquesk (Saint John), New Brunswick. He currently holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Mount Allison University, a minor in Visual Communications and Culture, and a certificate in Visual Literacy and Culture. He recently completed a Contemporary Management of Arts & Culture Certificate at the University of New Brunswick.
His artistic practice includes drawing, sculpture, and woodblock printmaking themed around purposeful incompleteness. As a queer individual, he often confronts the idea of identity and with it, the challenges of being fully and completely understood. Beyond his own art, Travers works as the Executive Director of Third Space Gallery, an itinerant artist-run centre in Saint John, New Brunswick, and sits on the board as treasurer for AANFA, the Atlantic Art at Night Festivals Alliance.
FLUX by Nutmeg Honeydew (Megan Dewar) (she/her)
Artist statement
The shape of this sculpture, titled FLUX, mimics the curvature of the Assiniboine river; it is designed to honor the pre-colonial and current existence of the water, land, and indigenous people of Treaty No.1 Territory. FLUX delivers the effect of discarded items adrift in ‘cloudy water’. FLUX is a wheelchair accessible pathway, enabling immersive experiences along the path- the flux- of the Assiniboine River, while considering the effect of the items embedded within.
Artist bio
Hello! My name is Megan (she/her). I am a physically disabled wheelchair user living in xwesam (Roberts Creek, BC). I am a therapeutic arts facilitator, a mosaic artist, and an aspiring creator of public art; I use my art practices to express and share my lived experiences of disability. “Creating mosaics involves taking ceramics and objects that appear broken and revealing inherent wholeness, value, and beauty. In this process, I get to sit with all these beautiful broken bits and reflect on how I relate to them, how they relate to society’s perception of disability and the transformation I dream of embedded in Disability Justice.” (Personal Artist Statement, 2023). My dream is to combine the principles of therapeutic art, the practice of mosaic, and my experiences in accessibility consultation/ advisement to work on projects that activate public spaces in ways that are both artful and accessible; I am grateful for the support of STEPS in realizing this dream…. In addition to artistic adventures, I enjoy spending time with trees, food & community!
Gathering Place by Nichol Marsch (she/they)
Artist statement
I envision using the space to develop an interactive, site specific ‘pathway’ system that incorporates an explorable sculpture, poured rubber surface design and sculptures that act as educational inspiration, seating, and opportunities for enjoyment and gathering. This idea is drawn from the concept of gatherings, and sensory pathways which are typically used in school settings to encourage movement, regulation, and to establish flow/movement in fun and creative ways.
Artist bio
Nichol Marsch (she/they) is a Metis artist from rural Manitoba (Treaty 1). Working primarily in multimedia sculptural installation, her practice is self-reflective and explores concepts of social constructs, determinants of identity, place and invariability. Through abstraction and a focus on process and materials, her work represents lived experiences and observations of the realities of living within social structures and dealing with superfluous habitual/mundane acts. Marschs’ installations often combine traditional craft with contemporary practices; an example was showcased in Lens Reflex (2020), a Manitoba Craft Council exhibition.
After obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honors from the University of Manitoba, Marsch completed a year-long Preparatorial Practicum at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, MAWA’s Foundation Mentorship Program (2019-2020), and the Creative Manitoba Individual Youth Mentorship (2020-2021). With support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Marsch completed a large-scale installation which was featured in a solo exhibition at Centre[3] for Artistic + Social Practice in Hamilton, Ontario, and recently completed a new large-scale installation, Self Portrait… which will be featured in a solo exhibition at the Nova Scotia Craft Council, Mary E. Black Gallery. Marsch is a founding member of the Winnipeg Pantsuits Collective (2020-).
History Flows by Ruby Yip
Artist statement
The colour coated stone sculpture incorporates the shape of water currents. The flow of water resembles the Seine River and the Red River in Lagimodière-Gaboury Park. It also resonates with the francophone history, through sailing across the seas, France was able to explore Canada in the 15th century. Designed in a tent shape, it is hoped that the sculpture would remind visitors of the Tepee, a culturally significant heritage of the Indigenous community.
Artist bio
Ruby Yip (b. 2004) is an Ontario-based Hong Kong Canadian artist. Ruby is an emerging contemporary artist who challenges social norms and expresses her emotions through multidisciplinary artworks. A huge part of Ruby’s work focuses on exploring her identity and mind. As a queer artist, Ruby also depicts the female figure and romantic feelings from her perspective. Ruby explores the possibilities of expression with oil, acrylic, pencil, charcoal, marker, animation, etc. Ruby craves internal satisfaction more than external recognition.
Crossing Paths by Sar Wagman
Artist statement
This piece is inspired by exploring the land and incorporates the elements of earth and water. It is a sculpture made of sustainable materials, specifically branches of the elm and cottonwood trees native to the area. The piece is shaped after the intersection of the Seine River and the Red River, the location of the park.
Artist bio
Sar is a Toronto artist who works in cross-disciplinary media driven by art, sustainability, and inclusion. Sar holds a BFA in life studies from OCAD University, where they focused on anatomy, technology, ecology, and sustainability. Largely inspired by their disabled, lesbian, Jewish-Indo Trinidadian identity, Sar considers how life intertwines with nature and how socio-political disability intersects with daily existence.
Holy Gathering by Sofia Reyes (they/she)
Artist statement
In “Holy Gathering,” I envision an art installation within Lagimodière-Gaboury Park that transcends traditional notions of communal gathering. Inspired by my interpretation of the Last Supper and influenced by the communal dining practices prevalent in many communities of people of color, the artwork challenges conventions. An oval platform adorned with twelve sculpted cushions beckons visitors to recline, fostering shared experiences and intimate connections. The piece draws upon Latin American naive folk art, decorating the platform with symbols and iconography commonly found in our religious imagery. This reflects my cultural background and memories of communal meals shared on the floor, creating a visual narrative that resonates with the diverse community. Importantly, “Holy Gathering” addresses the historical context of Manitoba, specifically exalting Metis history and heritage; by reimagining a Catholic image, the artwork becomes a poignant commentary on the resilience of faith and culture by the prevalent cultures and communities in the area.
Artist bio
Sofia Reyes is a Toronto-based artist known for her contributions to the realms of comic art, illustration, printmaking, and design.
Hailing from the tropics, Reyes identifies as a queer BIPOC woman whose work is deeply rooted in the exploration of identity, gravitating towards themes such as fantasy storytelling, BIPOC womanhood, identity politics, and biology, her cultural heritage, and the realm of Latin American magical realism. Her creative journey spans across various mediums, from linocut to digital art, zines, colour pencils, gouache, and risograph. Her work has been featured in exhibitions, publications, newsletters, and animation-based documentaries.”
Charmed By, One Very Surreal Day by Artist Masa (Sydnie Baynes) (she/her)
Artist statement
Lagimodière-Gaboury Park, nestled in an enchanting locale adorned with scenic walking trails, seamlessly mirrors the natural splendor that characterizes Winnipeg, Manitoba. Paying homage to the park’s intrinsic beauty while weaving in the rich tapestry of Winnipeg’s communal history, this public art piece stands as a testament to the captivating landscape that graces our surroundings. It encapsulates the harmonious interplay between art and nature within the contextual framework of this picturesque haven.
Artist bio
Sydnie is an emerging artist born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. She’s a graduating student from Dawson College in Cinema Communications. She is working towards a major BFA in Film Animation offered by the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema with a minor in Classics ancient history and archaeology. Through traditional drawing and digital art, Sydnie’s work mainly consists of her experiences as a young black creative, addressing the recurring theme of black history and ancestry. Sydnie’s animated films specifically include themes that promote self-love, exemplifying a journey of self-righteousness and praise for black females. Over the past year and a half, Sydnie has devoted her growing animation knowledge to the Black Community Resource Centre (BCRC) on their animation project. Through her experiences at the BCRC, Sydnie has sparked an interest in developing a Black artist-run animation collective. The purpose of this collective is to bring together Black-identifying animators ranging from beginners-professionals. In addition to Sydnie’s practices in the visual art community, she also has begun incorporating research into her professional practices. Sydnie was recently awarded a Oral History Research/Creation Grant by, Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling (COHDS) for her research project titled Pickaninny: The Black Maternal Health Crisis.
Connection by Yazmin Sarahi Miranda Aguilar (she/her)
Artist statement
Connection is a sculpture made for the Lagimodiere-Gaboury Park representing the joining of the Seine River and the Red River with figures that create a minimalistic water representation ending in a connection creating a “V” form. The figures would be created with 2 wavy panels that we would create with recycled blue plastic. This sculpture was created for people to sit and enjoy a little bit of shadows and the natural features on the site on sunny days and I think it would be a good space to take some funny and different photos. My principal idea is how we can change something that would look bad in a park as plastic bottles or containers to something useful.
Artist bio
Yazmin Sarahi Miranda Aguilar, born on April 18, 2002, in Michoacán, Mexico, currently resides in Toronto, Canada. She was drawn to the arts from a young age, initially focusing on ballet. Yazmin’s artistic journey began with dance, where she excelled in contemporary, jazz, and jazz-funk. She also has intermediate heels , reguetton, hip-hop and ballet skills. Her talent led to over 17 dance competition victories, and participating in the 2021 International Dance Organization (IDO) Virtual dance competition, representing Mexico.
Funders
CreateSpace Public Art Forum has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada and Canada Council for the Arts.
Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce au gouvernement du Canada et Canada Council for the Arts.
