City's public art plan could 'transform' Greater Sudbury, supporters say – The Sudbury Star

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The City of Greater Sudbury is getting serious about investing in public art.

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After years of advocacy from the local creative community, city council will discuss at next week’s meeting the implementation of a public art master plan. Staff will present the final report of a long-term project and council will vote on four resolutions to chart the way forward.

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As outlined in the plan, the city’s public art policy aims to position Greater Sudbury as the cultural capital of Northern Ontario, “celebrated from coast to coast to coast for its artistic excellence, vibrancy and creativity.”

As the master plan notes, the public art currently peppering the community breathes life into the city and helps to tell Greater Sudbury’s story. It “showcases the immense talent of its artists, draws inspiration from the land and builds on the city’s rich multicultural heritage.”

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The plan goes back more than five years. In 2018, council directed staff to form a public art advisory panel, which would oversee the development of an implementation plan.

In addition to helping draft the public art policy, the group “worked on getting the legal graffiti wall off the ground,” Christian Pelletier, who sat on the advisory panel, said this week. “We last met in late 2022 to review the initial findings for the master plan and give our feedback on it.”

The master 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 investment into public art.

“Community art is an important component of the City of Greater Sudbury’s public art program, but to make the administration processes more inclusive and flexible for community art, unnecessary barriers and regulations may be reduced for projects that seek to involve youth and community members in creative work,” the plan outlines.

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Pelletier is well-known in the regional arts community. He is art director at Studio123 and co-founder of We Live Up Here, which produces the annual Up Here festival, a celebration of art, creativity and music. As a result of Up Here (uphere.com), Sudbury is home to more than 40 colourful, lively and meaningful murals carved from the minds of artists from all over the world.

Pelletier said he is impressed with the master plan and he looks forward to what comes next.

“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. Did you know he initially built the thing four feet outside of city limits so he wouldn’t have to deal with all the red tape?”

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One of the plan’s recommendations is consistent funding for the arts. Currently, the city only provides about $25,000 in 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.”

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 — bridges, walls, waterworks, etc.,” the plan indicates.

There will be challenges during implementation. For one thing, Greater Sudbury is robust and spread out. The consultant the city hired said while many stakeholders advocated for creating a focal point in the city core, there were requests “for dispersing access to public art geographically across the city. A plan for at least one public art project in every ward over a five- to 10-year period could be a way to address the geographic scale of the city.”

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Stakeholders who met with the consultant identified a few areas where public art could be displayed, including the Donovan and Flour Mill neighbourhoods; the bus terminal on Cedar Street; Anderson Farm in Lively; as well as Tom Davies Square and Bell Park.

While not all locations would be suitable, they also suggested “libraries, recreation buildings, regional parks, community gardens, boardwalk/walkways and trails, arts and culture-related sites, downtown historic sites, historic town centres, entrances to neighbourhoods, geared-to-income neighbourhoods and shopping areas.”

Jeff MacIntyre of Downtown Sudbury said public art is one way to make Greater Sudbury more liveable and more appealing to new residents. He said the public art master plan is a great first step.

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“Cities need to be places people want to live, in order to remain relevant,” he said. “This plan gives Greater Sudbury’s artists the opportunity to engage with the public realm and create a more liveable city.”

Pelletier has watched attitudes evolve over a decade and he said finally, people understand the importance of public art within the context of societal conversation. He believes the master plan has the potential to transform the city and region.

“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. 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,” Pelletier said.

“I just really hope council will commit to consistent annual funding to ensure its success. 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. I wish we didn’t have to wait until 2026. I really believe this plan has transformative potential for the city.”

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