Art project brightens up square

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This article was published 29/10/2014 (4155 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As the days get a little darker, colours continue to come alive in a new outdoor art exhibit at Transcona Centennial Square.

Launched on Oct. 9, the Transcona BIZ community art project now brightens the Wyatt Dowling Insurance/Wawanesa Walls of Fame.

As BIZ executive director Wendy Galagan explains, the Walls of Fame pay tribute to six people who have contributed to Transcona’s success: Mary Andree, Joe Blostein, Ed Golding, Dr. Murdoch MacKay, Melvin Justus Given McMullen and Margaret Underhill.

Their names are displayed in one of 80 spaces on the wall of fame, but the remaining 79 concrete frames have sat empty. The square held its grand opening in September 2013.

“We decided to come up with a project that would celebrate and compliment the honourees by creating an outdoor public art gallery. Our theme was ‘Shades of Autumn’ because the colours of fall are so fantastic,” Galagan said.

“We encouraged artists of all ages from Transcona and surrounding areas. We reached out to our partnering organizations and businesses and encouraged them to submit art pieces as well. Our youngest artist was three years old and it went right up to almost 80. It was fabulous.”

The eye-catching artwork exhibits creations made primarily with paints and pastels, as well as some sketches. In the future, Galagan hopes to offer opportunities for other artists through photography or poetry displays.

Not only does the art project present a wealth of local talent, it also draws people to the public square that was built in 2012 for the centennial anniversary.

“At the Transcona BIZ, our mandate is economic growth and development while supporting our businesses to be successful. The Transcona Centennial Square is a gathering point and a place where people can visit. It draws people into our zone and showcases our membership with the many sales and services that they offer,” Galagan said.

“We provide a lot of programming through the summer months in the square, and we thought the art project was a great opportunity to provide passive programming. It encourages people to come to the downtown and linger in the square while they view the beautiful art pieces.”

The autumn-themed art will be on display until spring, when a new installation will be ready to view. All submissions remain property of the Transcona BIZ, which has some creative ideas for their future use.

“Each art piece is done on an 11-by-17 (inch) sheet, and they’ve all been laminated with a Plexiglas cover on top of them. When we take them down, our plan is to have our students in the summer trim them up nicely. Then they will become placemats for community restaurants or the Transcona meal program. It’s a way to keep giving,” Galagan said.

“We’re really, really happy with the way the program is unfolding, and we expect it to become even bigger and better in the future. The idea is to complement the honourees with colour and energy. It brings life to the square.”