Contact(s)
Orillia’s public art collection is growing!
On behalf of the City, the Art in Public Place Committee releases calls for artists at various times throughout the year. Sign-up to this page to receive email updates. The Committee also reviews proposals for public art from the community year-round.
Details on the committee, its application process, and projects are below.
Open calls:
Public Art Surveys - Survey deadline extended
Click on our Public Art Map to start your tour of the City's Public Art Collection.
| Have Your Say - survey deadline extended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Calling all artists, youth and businesses An Art in Public Places Plan is meant to provide the City with a roadmap for the funding, development and installation of public art. Grounded in research, best practices, and local voices, the Plan will set out priorities and strategies that reflect the needs and stories of Orillia.
Following a community-wide public survey conducted in 2021, the Art in Public Places Committee (APPC) is launching three new surveys to gather feedback and input from local artists, youth, and businesses.
Artist Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OrilliaArtists Youth Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OrilliaYouth Business Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OrilliaBusiness
Key City planning processes, such as the Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan, Streets for All: Streetscape Improvement Master Plan and the City of Orillia Tourism Strategic Action Plan, call for public art to play a stronger role in community and tourism development. The Art in Public Places Plan will help identify sites and funding strategies in addition to linking public art planning to future development in Orillia.
Hard copies can be requested by contacting the Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH) at Ninette Gyorody: executivedirector@orilliamuseum.org
Over the coming months the process will look at other opportunities to engage citizens, Orillia artists and arts organizations, youth, business partners, and other stakeholders in the development of the Plan. Visit back for more information. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Stack Gallery Exhibits |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
As part of the new Orillia Recreation Centre (ORC), the City of Orillia has included a gallery wall for rotating exhibits curated by the Art in Public Places Committee. The space is designed primarily for two-dimensional pieces and is called the Stack Gallery in honour of the site's industrial past. The gallery is accessible throughout the day during regular business hours. Visit the ORC's webpage for details.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Call for Submissions for Six Sites Across the City | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Stage One of this Call is now closed. Upon jury review and recommendation, only short-listed artists will be contacted to move on to Stage Two.
Project timelines Jury review: September-October Deadline for Stage Two submissions: October 31, 2022 Award: Wednesday, November 16, 2022 Anticipated Installation Date: March 31, 2023 (subject to change based on conditions)
To review the original call, download it here: Call for Submissions for Six Sites Across the City |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Call for Submissions for Biindigen/Welcome Mural | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Art in Public Places Committee (APPC), administered by the Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH) on behalf of the City of Orillia, was seeking proposals from visual artists and muralists for a digitally rendered mural to be located on the City of Orillia’s Water Filtration Plant.
This call is now closed for jury review.
To review the original call, download it here: Call for Submissions for Biindigen/Welcome Mural |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Public Art Proposals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Do you have a public art project you would like to bring to life? We encourage you to contact staff before completing our Public Art Proposal Checklist to ensure we have all of the necessary information to assess your proposal. Jacqueline Surette, Manager of Culture Ph: 705-325-4530; Email: jsurette@orillia.ca Public Art projects are subject to the City of Orillia’s Art in Public Places Policy 1.12.6.1. and require a written proposal prior to being forwarded to Council for approval. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Steering Drive for the Mariposa Belle |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
By James (Jimi) McKee The piece entitled The Steering Drive for the Mariposa Belle is a creative use and display of the City’s industrial past, connecting visitors to Stephen Leacock and his fictional story of the sinking of the steamboat bearing the same name in Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. For more on Leacock and his connection to Orillia, visit www.leacockmuseum.ca The Steering Drive for the Mariposa Belle is one of six sculptures by the artist, Jimi McKee, made of Dorr Oliver Long patterns. The patterns were used to cast molten metal at the Dorr-Oliver-Long Factory; one of the leading suppliers of a variety of mining equipment within North America. The factory was located at 174 West Street South, across the street from the work's home at the Orillia Recreation Centre entre. For more on the factory, watch this video compiled by the Orillia Heritage Centre.
The Artist: McKee is Canadian artist born in 1943 in Toronto to John George McKee and Mary Margaret Gough. John George immigrated from Ireland 1907 to Toronto where we worked for the T. Eaton Co. for over 50 years. Mary Margaret was an illustrator, pianist, model, and one of the first women in Canada to fly her own sea plane. Jimi and his brother William were born on 125 Dunvegan Road in Forest Hill and attended Saint Michael's College. McKee has been involved in the art field since 1959. He works in various media on two-dimensional and three-dimensional work including paint, metal, wood, and various other media he comes across such as the Dorr-Oliver-Long patterns. For more on McKee, visit his website. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
J.B. Tudhope Memorial Park Butterfly Garden |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Papillio Planta by Robert Doan The piece, entitled “Papillio Planta” by Robert Doan, was installed in J.B. Tudhope Memorial Park Habitat Garden following an open Call to Artists in 2020 by the City of Orillia and Art in Public Places Committee and endorsed by Council on October 26, 2020. The Call challenged local artist to create a dynamic piece of artwork that captures the essence of the pollinator garden. Doan’s proposal was selected for the strength and compelling nature of the literal and figurative imagery within the design. Inspired by the Call to Artists to create his own plant for the garden, the artist brings together six butterflies in flight to form a bloom. Similar to a real plant, Doan gave the piece a Latin botanical name: Papillio, meaning butterfly, and Planta, meaning plant. It stands approximately 7ft tall in the garden and is made of cold rolled steel. The material was chosen as it will weather over time to produce the natural orange-brown patina that will help it blend into its natural surroundings.
THE ARTIST: Robert Doan is a local sculptor who has combined his education and skill as a welder, jeweller, and visual artist to create compelling works of art for private and public commissions. He works with metal to create custom decorative pieces for commercial enterprises and residential properties. He has done work for Hawk Ridge Golf & Country Club, the CIBC in Mississauga, and Protea Health Centre in Barrie. Doan studied Material art & Design at the Ontario College of Art and Design and graduated from the welding course at Humber College. He also studied Jewellery and Metals at Georgian College - Barrie Campus and was awarded medals of academic and studio excellence. Mr. Doan taught welding at Georgian College when the Orillia Campus first opened in the 1980s. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inspired: The Road to Gold | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Local artist, Craig Mainprize, was commissioned by the City of Orillia and the 2020 OWG Games Organizing Committee to create a lasting impression mural for the 2020 Ontario Winter Games. Nine artists from throughout the province answered the call to create an 8’ X 12’ mural that encapsulates the theme, ‘Inspired: The Road to Gold.’ “Craig’s unique style, bold colours and simplistic designs captured the imagination of the jury,” said Jacqueline Sock, Manager of Culture and a member of the Games Organizing Committee. That, combined with his passion for sport resulted in his selection.
THE ARTIST: Craig Mainprize is a multi-disciplinary artist. Primarily a visual artist, he also works as a musician, curator, and actor. His paintings are known for their vibrant colour palette and use of drawing and line work. Mainprize was born in 1983 in Orillia, Ontario. He holds a BFA from the University of Ottawa, specializing in painting and sculpture. His works have been exhibited at arts museums across the province and are held in private collections around the world. He is the recipient of the 2019 Orillia Regional Arts & Heritage Award for Emerging Artist.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Waterfront Banners |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
In 2019, the City of Orillia put out a call to artists to create five renderings, one for each of the five chosen themes. Prospective artists were tasked with submitting one design sample to the City. The samples were adjudicated by a panel of jurors organized by the Orillia Public Art Committee. There were five artists in total that submitted samples. The five themes depicted on the waterfront banners were:
Jieun's bold and colourful interpretation of Orillia's cultural heritage won her the commission. Jieun is a Toronto-based artist who has exhibited paintings around the world since 2010. She immigrated to Canada in 2017 and is the co-founder of KJ Bit Collective, a group that creates murals and street art events. In 2018, Jieun was the recipient of the Newcomer and Refugee Artist Mentorship grant from Toronto Arts Council.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Art in Public Places Committee |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The City of Orillia adopted its first Art in Public Places Policy 1.12.6.1 in 2010 to recognize and promote the value of arts and culture through the integration of artwork into public views. The objective of the policy is to establish a standard and transparent for the acquisition, consultation, selection, site selection, maintenance, deaccession, monitoring and evaluation of purchased and/or donated works of art for display in public places. In 2018, City Council passed a resolution authorizing the Orillia Museum of Art & History to manage the City's public art program under the direction of the Manager of Culture and an Art in Public Places Committee. The Committee advises Council on donations and public calls for artwork originating with Council, the Committee, City staff or members at large. This page is dedicated to the work they are involved in. To stay informed, sign-up for page updates. |
