Temporary Public Art Program

The Temporary Public Art Program offers artists of diverse backgrounds and skillsets the opportunity to create artwork for public spaces in Nanaimo. Artists can propose artworks that vary in scale, scope, and medium, including temporary sculptural installations, social practice and community engaged artist projects and artwork that is integrated into landscape, architecture or civic infrastructure.

The Temporary Public Art Program supports artists in the creation of new works, by providing necessary resources and staff support through the course of project development and realization.

Temporary Public Art 2022 & 2023 now underway

David Martinello, Compelling Agency

David Martinello large-scale sculpture, "Compelling Agency", draws attention to the connective value that humans have to wood as a resource. The artist’s intention with his artwork is to have the viewer thoughtfully evaluate their relationship to wood and, in turn, their relationship to their environment while they observe the natural weathering and evolution of this intriguing structural piece during its years on display.

Amber Morrison & Matthew Fox, Moon Snail House

Artists, Amber Morrison, and Matthew Fox, will captivate passersby with the interactive artwork, "Moon Snail House". The design of the structure will invite admirers to explore this visually appealing, large-scale interactive sculpture. Educational signage will provide information about the Lewis’ moon snail (neverita lewisii) and the intertidal zones of the Salish Sea.

Curtis Grahauer, Millstone

Millstone, an interactive media project by artist, Curtis Grahauer consists of six films accessed using personal devices and QR codes found on signs located throughout Bowen Park (Nanaimo, BC). Filmed in a variety of dynamic locations over the course of a year, this project captures the life of the Millstone River as it ebbs and flows, ever-changing in resilient transformation. The artist’s long-term observations are compressed into shorter form, highlighting subtle changes in the surrounding environment that might otherwise be overlooked. Meaningful understanding requires that we slow down and reflect in quiet contemplation, observing the seasonal changes of the river, while absorbing the rhythms and beats of nature.

Jesse Gray, , Chimes for the South End

This new sculpture work, to be located in Deverill Square GYRO Park, will use locally-collected plastic trash that will be cast into bronze chimes that can be activated by park visitors. The process of creating the work will invite the participation of the South End community in activities leading up to the fabrication and installation of the work. Once on view, the chimes can be activated as an interactive sound sculpture.


Questions? 

Find out more about the process! Contact us directly at 250-755-4483 or cultureandevents@nanaimo.ca

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Contact Us

Culture & Events 250-755-4483
cultureandevents@nanaimo.ca

Last updated: November 14, 2023

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