Whether it’s finding a location for the new bison sculpture or commissioning an artwork to support Ukraine, the public art committee is working on several projects to beautify the community.
The committee met in early December to discuss several initiatives, from a bison sculpture to the Stormin’ Main Street Mural to downtown Christmas decorations to a Ukrainian sculpture, the minutes show.
Those minutes were forwarded to the Jan. 9 regular city council meeting, with councillors briefly discussing some items.
Coun. Doug Blanc inquired about the possible location for the bison sculpture. He thought council had approved a motion some time ago to install a cement pad in Sunningdale for the artwork and wondered if that location had changed.
That location was mentioned in a strategic planning report that city administration presented to council, since artist Bill Keen had suggested that spot, said Derek Blais, director of parks and recreation. However, council never formally adopted a motion for that location; instead, city hall developed a public art policy that manages those issues.
That policy transitioned the murals committee into the public art committee, with the new committee now playing a main role in handling the sculpture, he continued. Council approved a motion last fall to purchase the artwork, while the next steps include consulting with groups about a location. This would ensure the municipality is performing its due diligence.
Bison sculpture
The public art committee’s minutes show that Keen plans to store the bison sculpture until the city has determined a location for it.
Meanwhile, city administration has completed research about the history of Aboriginal Peoples and bison in the area and noted some areas where the animals likely congregated. These include Wakamow Valley and Tatawaw Park (formerly the Wild Animal Park).
Other possible locations include Crescent Park and near the Events Centre (formerly Mosaic Place).
City administration plans to contact a consulting firm to assist with gathering and organizing information and opinions from community groups about the sculpture. The goal is to complete consultations by February.
Stormin’ Main Street mural
Municipal officials informed the committee that the city posted a media release about the relocation of the Stormin’ Main Street mural, the minutes reported. Some community businesses contacted city hall expressing interest in having the mural installed on their building.
Meanwhile, the family of mural artist Dale Cline has offered to provide the committee with a replica of the artwork. Also, city administration will invite artist Grant McLaughlin to the next committee meeting to help determine the next steps for this mural.
Ukrainian sculpture
Craig Hemingway, manager of communications/stakeholder relations, told the committee that the Downtown Moose Jaw Association (DMJA) received a donation from the now-closed St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 2022 for a Ukrainian mural or sculpture.
The association has spoken with Keen on options for a design; there is already a rough design created of a seven-foot-tall sunflower sculpture since that flower has become associated with the Eastern European country.
The committee discussed possible locations for a sunflower sculpture and decided to continue talking about it in 2023.
Downtown Christmas decorations
Council representative Coun. Heather Eby told the group that residents have complained about the new snowflake Christmas decorations hanging over the intersection at Fairford Street and Main Street North.
Hemingway, on behalf of the DMJA, said the location of those decorations could be moved in the future if a more suitable space is found. He also said that the municipality plans to gradually replace the old downtown decorations with new ones that will match the snowflakes.
The DMJA also plans to donate money to the city to help purchase new decorations for the downtown, with the goal of replacing all old decorations by 2024.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Jan. 23.
