Public Artworks
The City of Oshawa maintains a collection of public artworks, including murals, sculptures, and monuments. The City also regularly develops and presents temporary artworks in the public sphere.
New Public Art
| Stay True by Jon Colwell |
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Type: Temporary Mural Location: South Oshawa Community Centre Stay True is an autobiographical piece by Jon Colwell, exploring the tension between his creative vision and the expectations imposed on him by others because of his Indigenous identity. Colwell symbolizes himself as the eagle depicted in a neo-traditional tattoo style, venturing into creating new works while the background hints at the Woodland style artwork, typically expected of him, being left behind. The black border and beveled edges represent a still frame or Polaroid, capturing the decisive moment to deviate from expectations and pursue authentic self-representation. |
| One Fish Two Fish by Meaghan Claire Kehoe |
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Type: Temporary Mural Location: Northview Community Centre One Fish Two Fish is an exploration of childhood nostalgia, depicted through vibrant colours and playful forms intended to recall joyful memories. Inspired by whimsical stories like those of Dr. Seuss, this painting invites viewers to reconnect with the fun and innocence of childhood, where imagination knows no bounds. One Fish Two Fish celebrates the freedom to dream and create, offering a journey into possibility and wonder. |
"Turning the Wheel" by Dani Crosby
The City of Oshawa is excited to announce a new temporary public artwork on the McMillan Parkade, located at 110 King St. W. in downtown Oshawa. This striking mural, “Turning the Wheel” by local artist Dani Crosby, commemorates the rich history of the John Bolase Warren Flour Mill, which once stood on this site – an especially fitting piece as Oshawa continues to celebrate Oshawa’s centennial.
The mill played a vital role in Oshawa's development, utilizing the power of Oshawa Creek to drive the local economy. The mural beautifully encapsulates this history, using a combination of ink-based line work and digital techniques. The artwork references the natural and cultivated landscapes, the mill's architecture, the labour force, and the community's deep connection to the creek. The mural is printed on adhesive vinyl and mounted on panels.
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Murals
There are over 15 murals located throughout the City that highlight the history, culture and significant milestones of the community. Many of these were commissioned through the Downtown Action Committee in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
| Mural and location | Details |
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Oshawa 1935 by Dan and Peter Sawatzky |
Commissioned in 1995. The mural was created by father and son team Dan and Peter Sawatzky. This mural depicts Oshawa's Four Corners on Kingston Rd. (now King St. and Simcoe St) as it would have appeared in 1935. It exhibits the manually operated traffic sign, used and operated by Officer Ed Stauffer as he directed traffic during busy times. Down in the heart of Oshawa on the main street were train tracks for the Oshawa Carriage Works, which remained until 1962. |
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Full Steam Ahead by Gus Froese |
Commissioned in 1995. The mural was created by Gus Froese. Full Steam Ahead is a collage celebrating the history of Oshawa and the Oshawa Carriage Works. Located at the back of the mural is Parkwood Estate and how it stands today. Also painted in the mural is one of Oshawa Carriage works cars, a 1924 McLaughlin Buick. On the extreme right is an original depiction of the Queen's Hotel. Established in 1874 it boasted state of the art technology with en-suite bathrooms, running water, and electricity. Painted in the centre is the Oshawa Carriage Works with their employees out front. Back behind the Oshawa Carriage Works is Oshawa's Newspaper at the time. "The Oshawa Daily Reformer" later to become the "Oshawa Times". On the far left of the mural is a depiction of the Oshawa Harbour and Barnhart's Pavilion, the local dance hall, where people went to socialize and dance. |
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Oshawa's Development (Historical Industry and Development) by Robin Burgesse |
Commissioned in 1996. The mural was created by Robin Burgesse. This mural portrays Oshawa's development with the slogan "Building on a Strong Foundation". Listed at the top are early companies from Oshawa's past. The panels below depict scenes from three influential companies - Warren Mills, Williams Piano Factory, and the McLaughlin Carriage Company. Many local faces are also featured. |
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General Motors of Canada by John Hood |
Commissioned in 1996. The mural was created by John Hood. The first panel illustrates members of the McLaughlin Family, founders of the McLaughlin Carriage Company and McLaughlin Motor Car Company, the forerunner of General Motors of Canada. The second panel shows GM's car symbols: Buick, Saturn, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac. The diversity of the work force is illustrated on the third panel through the use of gender, race and age. Through the instillation of technology, car designs change as shown on the fourth panel. The Crash Test Dummies found at the GM South Plant are painted on to the fifth panel. The loon found on the sixth panel is seen at either the GM Canada Headquarters, at the McLaughlin Bay, or the Second Marsh project. The inspiration for the next portion of the mural came from an actual letter and enclosed photograph. It shows three generations: a grandmother, a mother, and a granddaughter, standing proudly in front of their new "Sunfires." They wrote GM expressing how pleased they were with their new cars. In the final panel painted are two examples of the cars produced in Oshawa: the Buick Century and the GMC Pick-up. |
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Windfields Farm by David Yeatman McLaughlin Band, Shell Memorial Park |
Commissioned in 1996. The mural was created by David Yeatman. Windfields Farm was the home of champion racehorse Northern Dancer. Both the 1964 Kentucky Derby and Queen's Plate winner, Northern Dancer is pictured after his historic Kentucky Derby win with jockey Bill Hartack and EP Taylor, owner of Windfields Farm. Windfields Farm became one of the most renowned thoroughbred stables in North America. |
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Ontario Regiment - 130 Years of Service by John Hood McLaughlin Band, Shell Memorial Park |
Commissioned in 1996. The mural was created by John Hood. This mural commemorates the 130 year history of Oshawa's own Ontario Regiment and its involvement in the nation's conflicts and UN peacekeeping missions. All of the medals depicted at the bottom of the mural are accurate representations of Canadian Military decorations. |
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Driving Force by Rudolf Stussi |
Commissioned in 1996. The mural was created by Rudolf Stussi. The evolution of Oshawa's automobile industry is depicted in this mural. In 1899, the McLaughlin Carriage Factory was destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt within a year. The McLaughlin Motor Car Company, founded in 1907, began producing automobiles and, in 1918, became General Motors of Canada. The mural illustrates the role of General Motors during the Second World War in the manufacture of combat vehicles. The far right of the mural depicts the later technological advancements in automobile production. |
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Borsberry Music Hall by Brian Romagnoli |
Commissioned in 1997. The mural was created by Brian Romagnoli. This mural depicts Borsberry Music Hall, a 700 seat theatre that was located on the north side of King St., just east of Simcoe St., in the early 20th century. It played host to a number of dramatic and musical productions. The inside of the Borsberry Music Hall is portrayed as a montage on the mural. Pictured outside the Music Hall is a McLaughlin Buick from 1924. The artist decided to give the mural a little life and incorporated the doorway to the apartments into the mural painting it blue and yellow. |
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Recreation by the Lake by Tony Johnson |
Commissioned in 1997. The mural was created by Tony Johnson. The Lake Ontario Waterfront is pictured in this mural. It was a favourite gathering place for the Oshawa middle class. Streetcars running north and south along Simcoe St. were a popular means of getting to the waterfront. Barnhart's Pavilion (pictured in the background) was famous throughout Oshawa and beyond for its Friday night dances. Also pictured is "The Ocean Wave", a merry-go-round and prominent fixture at the lake. |
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Victorian Order of Nurses - 100th Anniversary by Robin Burgesse (West wall of GO Bus Terminal) |
Commissioned in 1997. The mural was created by Robin Burgesse. The Victorian Order of Nurses Mural depicts the 100-year history of the VON. It was commissioned by the VON Durham branch. The VON was founded by Lady Isabel Aberdeen, the wife of the Governor General, on the request of the National Council of Women as Canada's "memorial" for Queen Victoria's 1897 Diamond Jubilee. |
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Famous Oshawa Generals by Paul Ygartua |
Commissioned in 1997. The mural was created by Paul Ygartua. The Oshawa Generals Major Junior Hockey franchise was established for the 1937-38 season and immediately became a hockey powerhouse by winning seven consecutive Ontario championships through to 1944. The team has won five additional Ontario titles since then and has been the Memorial Cup champion four times, in 1939, 1940, 1944, and 1990. Featured are well-known Oshawa Generals stars of the past, including Billy Taylor, Bobby Orr, Terry O'Reilly and Eric Lindros. |
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Kingston Road Stage Coach by JR Hunter, Matt Whelan, Melissa Verge, and Nicol Janecko 12 Simcoe St. S. (Carriageway) |
Commissioned in 1998. The mural was created by JR Hunter, Matt Whelan, Melissa Verge, and Nicol Janecko who were local students of O'Neill Collegiate and Vocational Institute and Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School. This mural depicts the first stage coach line that operated on Kingston Rd. (Highway 2) between Fort Frontenac (Kingston) and Fork York (Toronto), 1817 to 1855. The last stop before Fort York was at Oshawa House on the northeast corner of King and Centre St. |
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Skae's Corner by JR Hunter, Matt Whelan, Erin Hackney, Ian Mitchell and Mile Wystoski 14 Simcoe St. S. (Carriageway) |
Commissioned in 1999. The mural was created by JR Hunter, Matt Whelan, Erin Hackney, Ian Mitchell and Mile Wystoski, students from students of O'Neill Collegiate and Vocational Institute and Monsignor Paul Dwyer. This mural depicts life at the four corners, 1840 to 1850. Skae's Corners became the Village of Oshawa in 1842. The first post office in Oshawa was located in the General Store owned by Skae and McDonald (the checkerboard building in the mural). The mural image looks outward from the porch at Munroe's Tavern where, in 1850, the Village of Oshawa Council held its first meeting. The other two buildings depicted are JD Hoitt's Carriage Shop and JB Warren's General Store. |
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Oshawa's 75th Anniversary by Tony Johnson |
Commissioned in 2000. The mural was created by Tony Johnson. Incorporated as a City in 1924, Oshawa celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1999. This mural is a collage of important people and places in Oshawa's history including: Donald Jackson, world famous figure skater; Lloyd Chadburn, a hero of the Second World War; Honourable Colonel Michael Starr, former Oshawa Mayor and Federal Labour minister; Robert Attersley, former Oshawa Generals hockey player; and Colonel R. S. and George McLaughlin, co-founders of General Motors of Canada, who, along with their wives, Adelaide and Annie, were patrons of Camp Samac, Memorial Park, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, and the Canadian Automotive Museum. |
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Camp X by Tony Johnson
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Commissioned in 2001. The mural was created by Tony Johnson. On December 6, 1941, Camp X - Special Training School 103 officially opened on the shores of Lake Ontario. Under the auspices of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's Special Operations Executive and his Canadian Chief of Security, Sir William Stephenson, five hundred secret agent graduates were schooled in a grueling ten to twelve week curriculum that included hand-to-hand combat, interrogation techniques, psychological warfare, explosives training, as well as espionage, sabotage, and survival skills behind enemy lines. Hydra, the immensely powerful short wave radio installation at Camp X, had William "Bill" Hardcastle, among its key operators. Ian Fleming, author and creator of "James Bond", was also trained here. |
| Sculpture / Location | Details |
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Group Portrait 1957 by Douglas Coupland Facade of Robert McLaughlin Art Gallery
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Group Portrait 1957 was commissioned by the RMG from artist Douglas Coupland in 2010. Inspired by the buildings minimalist architecture designed by Arthur Erickson, the sculpture is a visual reference of form and colour that honours the gallery's extensive collection of works by Painters Eleven. The RMG has the largest collection of work by this group of Canadian abstract expressionist painters who were active between 1954 and 1960. |
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Upstart II by Clement Meadmore Outside City Hall - Civic Square Park at south end of building
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Upstart II is a 25 feet tall aluminum sculpture created by Clement Meadmore in 1987 and installed at City Hall in 2012. Meadmore's work combines elements of abstract expressionism and minimalism to produce this large-scale and dramatic work of pure geometric form. |
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Oshawa Rising by Ron Baird Inside City Hall - First Floor, Main Lobby |
Installed in 2011, Oshawa Rising is a sculpture made of reflective stainless steel. Its intent is to reflect the movement, light and shapes of people who walk by - representing a symbol of Oshawa's past, present and future. |
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River Tree/Bench by Reinhard Reitzenstein Rear of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery
Commissioned by the Jury Committee of the RMG |
The sculpture consists of a 24 feet bronze Ironwood tree lying on its side, its position due, perhaps to high winds, or the ravage of time. River Tree/Bench's curved "spine" - the juncture from the roots has protrusions reminiscent of a backbone - and delicate root system, speak to a sublime beauty in nature that can only be truly appreciated through sympathetic understanding of what has been lost. |
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Crown by Douglas Bentham Rear of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery
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Crown is a welded steel sculpture by Saskatchewan artist Douglas Bentham. The sculpture was first loaned to the gallery in the late 1970s and later donated in 1986. Crown is a controversial piece and has raised many discussions about the practice and creation of art. One of Canada's most prominent sculptors, Bentham's work can be found in public and private collections in Canada and the United States. With over 40 solo exhibitions and over 100 group exhibitions in public and commercial galleries, his work has gained national and international recognition. |
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Reverb by Noel Harding Tribute Communities Centre
Commissioned by the RMG and purchased with the financial support of the RMG Acquisition Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program. |
Reverb is installed adjacent to the Tribute Communities Centre, Durham Region's premier sports and recreation facility, and the venue of the boxing and weightlifting events at the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games. The sculpture is impactful, standing at 19 feet high. The curved form implies a megaphone, an amphitheatre and stage, a net or goal, as Reverb reflects the activities that occur in the Tribute Communities Centre. The "blurb" shapes on the structure represent the fans and are positioned like a rake of seats. A microphone positioned above centre ice inside the Tribute Communities Centre will transmit a signal to the lights within the steel structure, transforming the sound into coloured beams of light around the sculpture that will be triggered every time the crowd inside cheers. Reverb is full of meaning and references. The laser cut stainless steel references industrial production and the facets align Oshawa's history as a port city and as an industrial capital. |
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Mushrooms by St. Stephen's Catholic Secondary School Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens Collection: City of Oshawa |
These steel mushroom sculptures were donated by St. Stephen's Catholic Secondary School, Bowmanville, to the City of Oshawa. Between 2014 and 2015, the students of the Manufacturing class designed and fabricated the sculptures. The school has also donated sculptures to locations such as The Toronto Zoo, Harris Steel (Windsor), Gerdau Steel, Whitby, and the Town of Essex. |
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Grace by Mary Anne Barkhouse Front lawn of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery Collection: Robert McLaughlin Gallery |
Commissioned in 2007, Grace by Mary Anne Barkhouse is a modern interpretation of the Three Graces by Antonio Canova, representing three beavers as the goddesses of Beauty, Mirth and Good Cheer resting on a slab of Canadian Shield granite. Working with animal imagery in a variety of mediums, Barkhouse is best known for her examination of Indigenous culture and environmental sustainability. |