The City of Peterborough Public Art Program has announced that Studio F Minus of Toronto will create the UN Peacekeepers Monument in the new urban park planned for downtown Peterborough.
This initiative was developed in partnership with and sponsored by the Peterborough chapter of the UN Peacekeepers Association.
The call for proposals — to create works that consider the spirit of peacekeeping and the role that Canada plays in bringing peace to the world — was extended to professional artists and designers who are permanent residents of Canada. The competition received 24 submissions from across the country.
In their presentation to the selection committee, Studio F Minus principals Mitchell Chan and Brad Hindson highlighted the “hall of mirrors” effect experienced when standing between the 14-foot high sculptures.
“The United Nations Peacekeepers Monument asks viewers to consider the borders and boundaries that define the world around us,” they explain. “A blue dotted line appears to float in the air, representing a border stretching all around the world.”
“In Canada we experience borders like this one in an privileged way. We move freely through most boundaries — physical, political, and social — that we encounter in our lives. This freedom cannot be taken for granted. It is preserved for all Canadians by a small group of brave men and women who stand on guard in areas where these boundaries are tense, dangerous, and delicate.”
City public art projects are reviewed by selection committees composed of five members of the community with interests or expertise in contemporary art, architecture, design, engineering, history, or cultural tourism and may include a project sponsor.
The members of the UN Peacekeeper Monument selection committee were Bill Steedman, from the local branch of the Peterborough chapter of the United Nations Peacekeepers Association, Su Ditta and Nasear Miftari from the City’s Public Art Advisory Committee, and Kelly Egan and Mark Seasons from the community at large.
The role of the Selection Committees are empowered is to evaluate all proposals, and to choose an artist or team whose work and experience best suit the scope of a project, and who has demonstrated an ability to realize a public artwork appropriate to the intended site.
The City’s Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) and Arts Culture Heritage Committee (ACHAC) receive the selection committee’s recommendations. PAAC is composed of up to seven voting members with interests or experience in fine arts, architecture, building construction, design, cultural tourism, history or community based art programming.
The current PAAC members are Heather Avery, Su Ditta, Krista English, Thomas Green, Julia Harrison, and Nasaer Miftari. Support for the committee includes Bruce Stonehouse and Dennis Carter Edwards from ACHAC, Becky Rogers, Manager of Arts Culture and Heritage, Celeste Scopelites, Director The Art Gallery of Peterborough Director and Jon Lockyer, Director Artspace.
The expected completion of the park and the monument is late 2018.
