HANWELL (GNB) – Four pieces of public art have been installed and officially presented at Hanwell’s kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school in keeping with the New Brunswick Public Art Policy.
“The policy’s main objective is to promote a sense of shared identity and pride of place among New Brunswickers, while also recognizing and supporting professional artists,” said Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Tammy Scott-Wallace. “I thank the creators of these outstanding examples of our province’s culture, which will enrich the lives of Hanwell Park Academy’s students, staff and visitors. These pieces also demonstrate our commitment to implement recommendations made by the Premier’s Task Force on the Status of the Artist.”
The department had issued a call for proposals for the creation of public art with a total budget of $50,000. Several artists submitted proposals and four were selected: Laura Forrester, Chelsea Landry, Karen LeBlanc and Jean Rooney.
- Laura Forrester’s piece, Hanwell Mural Series, is a large mural painted across the flat surface of the learning stairs in the school’s cafeteria. The mural displays themes related to the diversity of nature and continuous learning.
- Chelsea Landry’s work, New School Collective, is a mural on a rectangular fibreboard that depicts the Hanwell community through caricatures of local businesses, historical figures and the environment.
- Karen LeBlanc’s project, Suspended in Time, consists of two woven tapestries placed together that represent blank pages in an open notebook.
- Jean Rooney’s work, Dawn Chorus, consists of six circular panels of different sizes. The panels incorporate bright colours and elements of nature into a collage design.
Established in 2018, the policy ensures that a percentage of the construction budget for all newly constructed or renovated provincial government building projects is allocated toward the commission of public art for the new building.
To date, four schools and one provincial park have benefited from the policy. Two Moncton schools will have public art elements included in their facilities in the coming year.
“Appreciating and creating art is an important part of our children’s educational development,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Bill Hogan. “The Public Art Policy increases the visibility of the province’s artists while adding great cultural value to new schools and other public buildings. Just as importantly, it helps inspire and broaden the minds of our young learners.”
In addition to celebrating New Brunswick’s living heritage, the goals of the Public Art Policy in provincial buildings include:
- enabling individual New Brunswickers and the public to engage with and enjoy artwork in public spaces;
- stimulating and supporting economic, tourism and cultural development;
- supporting professional artists through opportunities for career development and visibility;
- reflecting an engagement between artists, the community and public buildings or sites; and
- increasing the value of government assets.
