Local artists to beautify Vaughan streets
City-led pilot project will transform traffic signal boxes into works of art
Twelve traffic signal boxes around Vaughan will become works of art this summer thanks to the creativity of local secondary students who participated in the City of Vaughan’s ARTonBOXES program pilot project, called the Group of Seven REMIXED.
The art designs, selected from dozens of submissions and unveiled at the June 6 Committee of the Whole (2) meeting, will be digitized and wrapped on select traffic signal boxes across the city.
The 12 student artists whose work was selected were each recognized with a City of Vaughan Student Higher Art Education Bursary of $1,000 in support of higher education and post-secondary studies in the arts. Congratulations to the following students:
From St. Elizabeth Catholic High School:
- Alessandra Raso, The Hunt
- Anna Ladizginsky, Twine
- Cailin Sadecka, Ethereality
- Kaitlyn Hsieh, Wilderness
- Lorenzo Pereira Misiunas, The Lone Boat
- Maria Suzdaleva, The Calmest Hour
From Westmount Collegiate Institute:
- Allyson Safran, Mountain Vast
- Caia Rotman, Peggy
- Daniel Zhang, Muskoka Woods
- Hailey Shema, Joy
- Marni Pellicane, Beauty of Banff
- Rana Silakhori, Snow Serenity
The Group of Seven REMIXED pilot project is part of the Vaughan City-Wide Public Art Program. The project is being piloted to guide the development of a 10-year ARTonBOXES program strategy. Art designs selected for the program will become public art assets in the Civic Art Collection of the Vaughan City-Wide Public Art Program for all to enjoy.
The City collaborated with York Catholic District School Board and York Region District School Board to run this program in alignment with the Ontario curriculum for visual art. Students were tasked with capturing the spirit of the Canadian landscape by re-interpreting Group of Seven paintings to create newly imagined original works of art.
The City received 64 art submissions from Grade 11 and Grade 12 visual art specialty students from St. Elizabeth Catholic High School and Westmount Collegiate Institute. Artwork was evaluated by a curatorial assessment panel against the following criteria:
- Artistic Merit – artwork exhibits a high calibre of creative ability and execution within the project scope.
- Contribution to Urban Character – artwork animates streetscape locations with positive visual impact.
- Applicability – artwork translates successfully to the large traffic signal box format with a suitably scaled design.
The 12 designated traffic signal box locations for the pilot program were chosen in collaboration with York Region. Transforming traffic signal boxes through art contributes to the creative character of Vaughan’s neighbourhoods, beautifies city streetscapes and discourages graffiti.
To learn more about the ARTonBOXES program, view the art design submissions and see 3D renderings of the selected artworks on the traffic signal boxes, visit vaughan.ca/ARTonBOXES. To learn more about the City-Wide Public Art Program, visit the Public Art webpage.
QUOTE
“Vaughan is a cultural mosaic of talented, diverse and creative people. The City of Vaughan is dedicated to supporting artistic and cultural endeavours that add to our community’s spirit, diversity and sense of togetherness. The ARTonBOXES program will contribute to our city’s urban character by beautifying public spaces in our neighbourhoods and animating high-traffic intersections in all five wards across Vaughan. One of the greatest gifts we can share with future generations is our appreciation of the arts, which is a vital part of the diversity that enhances our city. Enriching people’s lives with art and cultural expression helps foster a welcoming, vibrant and inclusive society for all, and I want to thank these incredible young artists for sharing their talent with the community.”
- Mayor Steven Del Duca
QUICK FACTS
- The City of Vaughan unveiled 12 art designs selected for the Group of Seven REMIXED pilot project as part of the City’s ARTonBOXES traffic signal box art wrapping program.
- The selected artworks will be installed on designated traffic signal boxes across Vaughan this summer.
- Twelve City of Vaughan Student Higher Art Education Bursaries of $1,000 were awarded to the students whose art designs were selected for the pilot.
- York Catholic District School Board and York Region District School Board collaborated with the City to create original artwork for the Group of Seven REMIXED pilot in alignment with the Ontario curriculum for visual art.
- This pilot project is part of the broader Vaughan City-Wide Public Art Program and provides a testing ground and blueprint to guide the development of a 10-year ARTonBOXES program strategy.
- Art designs selected for the ARTonBOXES program will be added as public art assets in the Civic Art Collection of the Vaughan City-Wide Public Art Program.
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