Arts Events and Activities

Artist Statement:

Place at the Table is a public art installation that takes its inspiration directly from the place itself, celebrating the landscape upon which the City of Oshawa was originally built and where it continues to grow and develop. The bronze sculpture takes the form of a table tennis table in the shape of the city of Oshawa, with a three-dimensional topographical map of the city raised in relief upon its surface, and with the net comprised of recognizable silhouettes of the notable Oshawa landmarks that make up the city’s skyline.

Place at the Table is a thought-provoking, and playful artwork, one that will surprise and delight the public, inviting them to participate in an unexpected consideration of the city by literally seeing the setting in which they live as a site of interactive engagement. It encourages people to make the city their own. Their home is open for invention. For playful engagement. They have a place at the table just by being there. As such, the artwork communicates the idea that Oshawa is a vibrant place, a place of stories, as unexpected and surprising as the art itself. It invites the public to consider what they know and recognize about their city and its neighbourhoods and to ponder their own personal connection and place within the city, its opportunities and possibilities. It emphasizes that Oshawa is based on relationships: with the land, the city, with each other.

The work is approachable, aesthetically accessible, human-scaled, and inclusive to people of all ages and backgrounds. While it can be activated by actual table tennis play, it is an independent sculpture in its own right, exploring the gravitas of place, of landscape, of earth. We can also easily imagine tourists and visitors to the city gravitating to the work as they seek to learn about Oshawa.

Artist Statement:

Kaleidoscope, my proposed public art project for the Bond Simcoe Urban Square, will embody the vibrant and evolving spirit of Oshawa through a striking representation of monarch butterflies on a monumental scale. This dynamic artwork will take the form of an arch, where a swirling cluster of monarch butterflies—fabricated from corten and stainless steel—hovers between realism and abstraction. Some of the butterflies will be rendered complete, their iconic wings showcasing the intricate patterns of the monarch, while others dissolve into wing-like shapes creating a visual flow between representation and fluid geometry.

My intent for the Bond Simcoe Urban Square Public Art Project is to create an artwork that will engage the imagination of visitors. Kaleidoscope will embody multiple layers of meaning and provide room for interpretation. It will be pleasantly unexpected, and inviting, offering a vibrant reflection of the interplay between Oshawa's urban and natural environments. The monarch butterfly is widely recognized as a symbol of transformation, migration, and renewal. These themes align with Oshawa’s history and its future as a city in constant transformation. The image of monarchs gathering in a kaleidoscope—the term used to describe a great assembly of butterflies—speaks to the Urban Square’s role as a gathering place where people will soon converge in celebration, leisure, and cultural activities. Historically, butterfly gatherings have been seen as auspicious signs of what’s to come, echoing the city’s vision for growth and evolution. Just as monarchs migrate, the installation reflects Oshawa’s journey of becoming the vibrant and connected city it is today.

Artist Statement:

Wild Oshawa will consist of two bronze figures that appear to be citizens leisurely going about their day, casually lounging in the square. However, upon closer inspection, the figures will reveal themselves to be composed of squirrels, raccoons, owls, turtles, and other local wildlife working together to appear human. Humorously referencing cartoon clichés, these sculptures invite a thoughtful reflection on our relationship with nature. Wild Oshawa challenges viewers’ perceptions by making a seemingly mundane scene extraordinary: a human figure in jeans and a light jacket morphing into a conglomeration of animals that is both shocking and intriguing. The work carries an uneasy quality about it as the situation suddenly shifts from normal to surreal, revealing the extraordinary possibilities beneath the mundane that we take for granted.

Wild Oshawa is about encouraging visitors to pause and reflect on their own relationship to nature. The artwork is intended to create a sense of discovery and awe in the viewer, as an ordinary visit to the urban square suddenly shifts into an extraordinary experience that reminds the viewer that experiencing nature requires engagement.

Wild Oshawa challenges our perception of nature by highlighting the urban environment as a space shared with wild animals. The reality of our expanding cityscapes correlating to the shrinking wilderness that houses these animals has resulted in the sharing of our urban spaces with creatures that we assume are better suited for the forest. These animals inhabit our city stealthily, rarely seen, and when we do come across them, we are often startled to remember that we share our community spaces.