Artwork is coming to Nanaimo’s Colliery dam spillway.
The City of Nanaimo is seeking proposals from indigenous artists for art that celebrates the cultural histories and continuing presence of Coast Salish peoples in what’s now Colliery Dam Park, shows a city press release.
The artwork, for the city’s new multi-million dollar spillway, is expected to be completed by April next year and artists will get no more than $40,000 to work with.
Chris Sholberg, the city’s culture and heritage planner, said the idea is to try to promote public art on public sites where possible and this is the latest example of that.
“When somebody sees this piece there, it will cause them to think about the connection between local First Nations and this particular parkland,” Sholberg said, adding there’s an overall connection for it being the traditional territory and lands of the Snuneymuxw First Nation and that’s what this is all about, as well as pure creativity, love of art and esthetics.
Artists are being asked to hand in proposals that demonstrate imagination, originality, excellence and artist merit, consider the location of the site, context and audience, as well as other factors, like resistance to year-round weather conditions. Once chosen, city staff members and a selection committee will work with the artist to figure out the best artwork for the application in keeping with the Coast Salish design, the press release says.
Bids are due Sept. 15 this year and a question and answer drop-in session will happen Aug. 17, 3-5 p.m. in the upper floor lounge of the Nanaimo Ice Centre.