The painted paddle outdoor art exhibit is returning to downtown Peterborough for its second year beginning Friday (March 4).
The self-guided exhibit features 33 painted paddles installed in various storefront windows including The Boardwalk Game Lounge, Cork and Bean, Watson and Lou, Cottage Toys, GreenUP Store, Pammett’s Flowers, The Earth Food Shop, Fork It, and more.
The exhibit features painted paddles contributed by individual artists and organizations including Beth LeBlonc, Jason Wilkins, Miguel Hernandez Autorino, Rachel Dyck, Kate Irwin, Brianna Gosselin, Trent Gzowski College, Princess Gardens Retirement Residence, Empress Gardens Retirement Residence, and more.
“This is the kind of positive intervention that livens our downtown shop windows during what many consider a more dreary month in the Canadian calendar,” says Terry Guiel, executive director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), in a media release.
“With the world opening back up, people are eager to get out and explore again and the painted paddle exhibit is slated to capture that enthusiasm for adventure while highlighting the incredible wealth of artistic talent we have right here in Peterborough.”
The exhibit runs until Wednesday, March 30th.
The donated painted paddles will go up for online auction at www.32auctions.com/boropaintedpaddles beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 11th until 8 p.m. on Friday, April 1st, coinciding with the First Friday Peterborough Art Crawl.
All proceeds raised through the auction will support the Downtown Green Team, a DBIA partnership with the One City Employment Program to establish a seasonal gardening team that cares for the patio planters, flower pots, and other green spaces throughout the downtown.
The initiative will create two seasonal positions for people who are experiencing barriers to traditional employment, whether due to homelessness, criminalization, or social exclusion.
Map of Painted Paddle Tour 2022
