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2023 CreateSpace Public Art Forum
Location: Participants, facilitators and keynote speakers gathered from across Canada, including New Brunswick (Riverview, Fredericton), Ontario (Pickering, Richmond Hill, Thornhill, London, Toronto, Brampton, Woodbridge, Orton, Windsor, Thorald, Mississauga), Alberta (Edmonton, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Sherwood Park, Calgary, Siksika), Yukon Territory (Whitehorse, Dawson City), Quebec (Longueuil, Montreal, Matapedia), Manitoba (Winnipeg), Nova Scotia (Middlesackville), British Columbia (Sechelt, Prince George, Vancouver, Port Coquitlam), Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Regina)
Year: 2023
Artists: Sidney Frenette-Ling, Raneece Buddan, Shams Ben Temessek, Shanelle St. Hilaire, JJ An, Shyla Elgie, Shivani Joshi
Forum Facilitators: Anna Jane McIntyre, Adriana Alarcón, Laara Cerman, Eduardo Aquino, Queen Kukoyi, Nuff, Adrian Stimson, Tiffany Shaw, Alejandro Romero, Ruth del Fresno-Guillem, Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan (Keynote Speakers)
Services: Artist Capacity Building
About the CreateSpace Public Art Forum
The 2023 CreateSpace Public Art Forum is a digital forum that virtually convened 54 participants who identify as Black, Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), racialized, rural and/or youth with disabilities and between the ages of 18-25. This forum fostered connections, built understanding across geographies and cultures, and provided emerging equity-seeking participants with the skills, relationships and support needed to develop public art practices.
Through this program, participants:
- Watched pre-recorded online workshops and a live keynote by public art facilitators and artists
- Engaged with peers through the community Discord
- Attended one-on-one studio visits with established public artists
- Created visual public art responses and received feedback during the studio visits
“Participating in this forum has been a fulfilling experience which has connected me with other emerging artists in Canada. I learned about many principles of public art, which has helped me to understand what to focus on to create enjoyable experiences for a community. I found this program very beneficial, encouraging, and supportive, and would recommend this for any artist who is wanting to explore the field of public art.”
– Sidney Frenette-Ling, 2023 Forum Artist Participant
Terms of Reference Details
CreateSpace Public Art Forum participants were provided with three (3) Terms of Reference documents to choose from: 525 John St (Burlington, Ontario), Mount Royal Park (Montreal, Quebec), and St. Vital Park (Winnipeg, Manitoba).
A Terms of Reference document acts as a call for submissions. When creating their public art concepts, participants considered the space and created a public artwork unique to that space. Each document highlighted a different location from across Canada and provided images, a brief history of the area, the project goals and design considerations.
St. Vital Park (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Participants who chose this term of reference had the challenge of activating and animating St. Vital Park with a unique and visually interesting public art piece. Design considerations included:
- Creating a sculptural and/or architectural piece (best suited for a 3D work) that is viewable from all angles
- No larger than 5 x 5 feet
- Geological history of St. Vital Park and the interaction between the land and inhabitants of the park and surrounding areas
- Materials that are lasting and durable to accommodate the weather conditions in Winnipeg
“The workshops were very useful in teaching me the different ways I can approach public art, how I can involve other artists, and the many roles I can play.”
– Raneece Buddan, 2023 Forum Artist Participant
Artistic Responses
Hover over the image and click the arrow to see the artwork and meet the artist behind each project! Read the accompanying artist statement and artist bio below the artwork. All credits and image rights go to the artists who participated in the forum.
Constant Connection by Sidney Frenette-Ling
Artist Statement
Constant Connection by Sidney Frenette-Ling is a public artwork made for St. Vital Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba. This pigmented concrete sculpture reflects on the interactions between the land and its inhabitants throughout time. Animal and Human connections are shown throughout the form where abstracted figures move with the fluid gesture of the piece. Through the processes of digital sculpting, 3d printing, and casting, the sculpture would take on its final form.
Artist Bio
Sidney Frenette-Ling (he/him) is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist from Markham, ON. His practice is that of exploration. His work often examines the connection he has with the seemingly mundane. Living in Lethbridge, AB, Sidney is completing a BFA in Art Studio, and a minor in Marketing at the University of Lethbridge.
Resettling by Raneece Buddan
Artist Statement
This piece serves to acknowledge the large migrant population of Winnipeg from the 1880s to now and how essential they are to the development of the city. Inspired by St. Vital Park, the home of many birds throughout the year, the artist saw the connection in migration between birds and people and the need for a home/nest. This sculpture represents everyone who migrated, what they brought and what they’ve built as home.
Artist Bio
Raneece Buddan (she/her) is a Jamaican visual artist who resides in Treaty 6 territory, Amiswaciwâskahikan (Edmonton). She completed her BFA in Art and Design with Distinction at the University of Alberta (2020). She focuses on her cultural identity as a Jamaican woman of Afro and Indo-Caribbean ancestry and her practice includes oil painting, woodworking, clay sculpting, printmaking and weaving.
Interactive Musical Piece in St.Vital Park, Winnipeg by Shams Ben Temessek
Artist Statement
Shams was particularly inspired by Laara Cerman’s talk on ecology and public art. As a sea kayak guide, Shams hopes to bridge her love for nature with public art and convey the importance of clean water through an interactive musical instrument that makes sound from touching water jets.
Artist Bio
Shams (she/her) currently based in Whitehorse, grew up between Montreal and Tunisia, speaks five languages, and has backpacked extensively on five continents. This could explain her fascination with how people make a place feel like home. Her artistic practice and research interests are grounded in connection: how people form a community, connect to themselves, each other, and where they are.
Waterfall by Shanelle St. Hilaire
Artist Statement
“Waterfall” by Shanelle St. Hilaire is a project in progress that is about their deep connection and love of large bodies of water. St. Hilaire hopes to create multiple beaded “waterfalls” and install them in various parks across Winnipeg. This is an interactive installation project, used to communicate the importance of recognizing that water is incredibly important to all life forms.
Artist Bio
Shanelle St. Hilaire (she/they) is a Métis Winnipeg-based artist whose creative practice is eclectic and is always looking for challenges and experimentation. They have a passion for colour, which is reflected in their work. St. Hilaire finds inspiration in many areas of study such as nature, fashion, feminism, biology, plant science, chemistry, and music.
Safe Keeping by JJ An
Artist Statement
Safe Keeping is an installation piece concerned with themes of care and repetitive labour with an overarching topic of immigration. By weaving delicate pieces of rice paper into a durable paper mache sculpture, JJ explores the emotional and physical consequences of so-called “unskilled labour” performed by immigrant workers. Safe Keeping symbolizes JJ and her family’s ten-year journey of settling in Canada–calling attention to unseen and undervalued labour within immigrant homes and communities, whom JJ wants to honour through this work.
Artist Bio
Jungeun An (JJ) is a Korean artist who moved to Canada ten years ago with her mother and brother. Her works stem from identity, memory, and trauma. JJ pulls narratives from experiences pertaining to her bi-nationality. This attention to her own cultural and ethnic background provides works with diversified perspectives and unique infusions of culture.
Métis Medicine by Shyla Elgie
Artist Statement
This medicine pouch was made as a dedication to the Indigenous people who have cared for the unceded ancestral lands in what is known today as Winnipeg, home to many Indigenous peoples and situated within the Métis homeland. I wanted to showcase a blooming Métis styled flower (center) to signify the resilience of the Métis people and the infinity symbol which also has great significance. It was created with the intent to represent the immortality of the Métis Nation, showcase traditional styled beadwork and share stories and traditions to be passed down for generations.
Artist Bio
Shyla (she/her/hers) is a Cree/Métis beadwork artist with family ties to the Fort McKay First Nation and the Metis Nation. Shyla was raised in Prince George, BC on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh. Shyla learned to bead a little over year ago as a way of reconnecting and rediscovering her culture. Whenever possible, Shyla uses contemporary and traditional beadwork designs and techniques along with the use of traditional materials in her work.
Artist’s Circle by Shivani Joshi
Artist Statement
Artist’s Circle is an engaging performance piece where 5 artists bring their craft and create a circular tapestry. Each artist has a panel of their own, with which they decorate with their cultural practice, or otherwise. As folks enter the park, the artists share their practice, culture, and lived experiences, providing an entryway for the public to understand minority perspectives surrounded by nature.
Artist Bio
Shivani Joshi (she/her) is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer, choreographer and scholar. She continues to experiment with visual metaphor and performance practices. Shivani also researches women’s spaces, and advocates for infrastructure for women of color to pass on cultural art forms.
Funders and Partners
CreateSpace Public Art Forum is supported by Canadian Heritage and Canada Council for the Arts. We also acknowledge the support of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation with funding provided by the Government of Canada.
Le Forum d’art public CreateSpace est soutenu par Canadian Heritage et le Conseil des Arts du Canada. Nous reconnaissons l’appui de la Fondation canadienne des relations raciales grâce au financement fourni par le gouvernement du Canada.
STEPS believes that public art should reflect the diverse identities and perspectives of the communities that host it. Artists have a critical role to play in shaping cities, and our Artist Capacity Building Programs are designed to amplify the work of Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour, female, LGBTTQQIAAP and newcomer artists in public spaces.