New billboard at Princess and Division streets. Image via City of Kingston.
The City of Kingston has announced three new temporary public art projects featuring Kingston-based artists for 2021.
Paved Paradise 2021, Storefront Public Art, and the Billboard Poetry Project will promote diverse cultural expression in a variety of mediums in spaces and places throughout the downtown core, according to a release from the City, dated Tuesday, Mar. 16, 2021.
“Public art enhances our urban experience and invigorates public spaces in a uniquely accessible way,” notes Danika Lochhead, Manager, Arts and Sector Development. “These three distinct projects showcase a range of dynamic and impactful artworks created by local artists and work together to contribute to a vibrant, high-quality public realm that is especially important now as a way to engage residents and make the arts accessible as we transition into the second year of the pandemic.”
According to the release, the City’s Public Art Program supports creation of contemporary public art by emerging and established artists through commissions and artist collaborations. Through this program, the City said they are committed to working with artists, residents and the public and private sectors in the ongoing development and implementation of public art projects to establish Kingston as a hub of creative placemaking that recognizes and builds on the City’s diverse history, engages its community and inspires its future leaders.
The City shared details on each project:
Call for Submissions: Paved Paradise 2021
Kingston-based artists are invited to submit proposals for Paved Paradise, an outdoor public art platform of seven pedestrian-level billboards found on the north side of Brock Street at Ontario Street. Now in its fourth year, the selected work will be presented as a temporary project from June to November 2021 as part of the Love Kingston Marketplace program that is reimagining downtown Kingston to help respond to the impacts of COVID-19 on residents, businesses, culture, tourism, and the local economy. The deadline to submit proposals is Friday, Apr. 23, 2021.
The Public Art Program, in partnership with Tourism Kingston and Downtown Kingston! BIA, presents a series of five public artworks in vacant storefronts created by local artists. The featured artists and locations are:
77 Princess St. – Cultivate by Marney McDiarmid and Arriving by Aida Šulcs.
237 Princess St. – Take My Hand by Jennifer Demitor.
239 Princess St. – Phony Bologna, Dead On Collective including Kelsey Pearson, Bree Rappaport, and Eric Williams.
330 Princess St. – Unsolicited Life Advice by Floriana Ehninger-Cuervo (coming soon).
Kingston residents are invited to explore downtown Kingston safely to discover new public artworks and learn more about the artists. The exhibitions create new opportunities to work with local artists impacted by the pandemic and will be in place until May 2021. The spaces for the exhibits were donated by CaraCo Group of Companies and Keystone Property Management.
A new poetry work by Bruce Kauffman has been installed on a billboard at the intersection of Princess and Division streets as part of The Hub Project. The billboard features poetry-based works by local poets, from January to September 2021, selected by Jason Heroux, the City’s Poet Laureate. Kauffman is a local poet, editor, and organizer of literary events. In addition to his collaborative work with other artists, his written work has appeared in anthologies, journals, four chapbooks, and four collections of poetry, with an evening absence still waiting for moon (2019) his latest. He is also a recent recipient of the Mayor’s Arts Awards.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
