City approves public art plan for Greater Sudbury – The Sudbury Star

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There was a time when people joked a bowl of yogurt had more culture than Sudbury. But thanks to the newly-minted public art master plan, the Nickel City is earning a national reputation as a cultural hotspot.

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Last week, city council got behind public art in a big way.

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Councillors unanimously approved a public art master plan that aims to position Greater Sudbury as the cultural capital of Northern Ontario, a place celebrated across the country for its artistic excellence, vibrancy and creativity.

“This community provides a lot of public art, and we actually host one of the major public art festivals in Canada, with the Up Here group,” Mayor Paul Lefebvre said.

Up Here is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2024. For a decade, the festival has brought music, installation art;, weird and wonderful cultural activities, and more than 40 colourful, lively and meaningful murals to downtown Sudbury. It has become a nationally recognized festival and has helped put Greater Sudbury on the map.

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Christian Pelletier of Up Here said he is impressed with the master plan and he looks forward to what comes next. Pelletier was part of an advisory panel that helped develop the final plan.

“It’s really exciting to see it finally coming together. Public art is in this city’s DNA. We’re known for a big, shiny, oversized coin for Pete’s sake,” he quipped. “This plan really is a testament to how far we’ve come as a city. I’m sure Ted Szilva would’ve loved this kind of plan when he was butting heads with the city, trying to get permits for the Big Nickel back in the 60s.”

The public art master plan was more than five years in the making. In 2018, council directed staff to form a public art advisory panel, which would oversee the development of an implementation plan. They have been chipping away at it since then.

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The plan details several major recommendations. It calls for a review of the public art policy; the establishment of a governance model; the identification of best practices; and investing in public art.

Proponents say to be effective, public art requires consistent funding. Currently, the city only provides about $25,000 in annual funding; however, one option in the plan recommends boosting that to $250,000 annually from now until 2027 — a total of $1 million over four years. The other option recommends phased-in funding that starts “at $50,000 in 2024 — a $25,000 increase from 2023 — and increase by $25,000 increments to $125,000 annually by 2027.”

During the vote, council approved a resolution directing staff to prepare a business case for funding as part of the 2026 budget process.

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“An ongoing sustained investment is the only way to give the plan the teeth it needs. Without that, it’s just another master plan accumulating dust on a shelf,” Pelletier said. “I wish we didn’t have to wait until 2026. I really believe this plan has transformative potential for the city.”

The master plan also recommends integrating public art into capital projects, to a maximum of $500,000. Facilities may include parks, trails, community centres, libraries, streetscapes and infrastructure, such as bridges, walls and culverts.

Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann sat on the advisory panel with Pelletier and several local artists. She lauded the panel’s work.

Landry-Altmann asked that an artist-in-residence be considered for the plan since it would lend an additional lens through which to consider activities and outcomes.

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“Something similar to our model of the poet laureate, so that this person oversees some of the governance on the selection,” she said. “I know we have a public art jury, but I would like for us to look at how that would work and how that would provide an advantage.”

Pelletier said people are finally starting to understand the importance of public art within the context of societal conversation.

“There’s really been a big shift in our thinking about public art in this city. It’s great. Ten years ago people looked at us like we were aliens when we talked about the idea of the city as a public art gallery,” he said. “Fast forward to today, people get it, and we’ve got a solid plan in front of us. I can’t wait to see what will come from this.”

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