Galleries are great and museums are marvelous, but I prefer my art al fresco.
A well-curated collection has its place, but sometimes it feels a little stifling. Art and culture shouldn’t solely exist in an alienating silo. Winnipeg is in a phase where it seems the words attached to every new development—be it our NHL team or new foreign chain stores—are “world-class city.” Yet, a city doesn’t come to be world class by simply adding things that hundreds of other locales have; cities like New York, Berlin, and Paris gain their status by celebrating the culture that exists within its city limits and the things that make it unique.
Luckily, there are some great pieces of free-range art to fill your eyes with that won’t cost you a penny. While some are controversial and others simply aren’t everyone’s cup of time, here are five of my favorites:
“Emptyful” by Bill Pechet
This piece and its $575,000 price tag might just be the most controversial public art in the city. It sits in the park behind the Millennium Library and is inspired by the emptiness of the prairies or, as its statement describes: “A boundless space where various phenomena such as weather, light, seasons and human endeavour come and go.”
A beaker-shaped sculpture featuring light, water, and fog components, this piece is dynamic and eye-catching for those who claim they don’t “get” art, while celebrating the culture of our region.
“Marbles on Portage” by Erica Swendrowski
The 16 cement marbles that popped up on Portage Avenue last summer incorporate plants, cement, light, and a good bit of whimsy.
Swendrowski was chosen as a Community Garden Artist-in-Residence as a way of bringing art to spaces that focus on community and food production. That evolved into this project, which features some marbles growing in felt pockets and some that glow at night, bringing a little light and life to the concrete of downtown Winnipeg.
The Osborne bridge
In my opinion, some of the best public art takes functional structures and applies beauty to them. In Winnipeg, a principal example of this is the Osborne bridge.
The pedestrian portion of the bridge itself is designed using lines from a map of streets in the neighbourhood, while aluminum plates telling stories of the area’s history line the handrail and are lit up by LED lights at night. On either side of the bridge, four larger plates depict four major architectural events in the area, giving it the character it has today. For those who cross the notoriously cold and blustery bridge, it is a welcome distraction.
“Brilliant Horizon” by Wanda Koop
The new Hydro building is expansive, architecturally beautiful, and full of beautiful art – most of which is not accessible to the public (including a wonderful Miriam Rudolf print).
However, just outside the doors of one of the most disappointing restaurant experiences I have ever had, there is a small lounge area. It contains a Wanda Koop painting called “Brilliant Horizon” from her View From Here series; an abstract landscape with neon linear shapes.
Koop—an Order of Canada recipient—is one of the most celebrated Winnipeg artists not only for her paintings but for founding Art City. In between a million city buses, hot dog carts, the hustle of the skywalk system, and office employees hurriedly darting everywhere, this is a quiet little corner perfect for taking a breather.
DIY Field
An interactive installation piece in Winnipeg’s Central Park, DIY Field excels in both concept and execution. Made up of poles with lights on top and three buttons, passersby can completely control the output of the light by choosing its color or choosing to turn it off entirely.
In an area of town often stigmatized as being unsafe to walk in at night, this piece reminds us that we are not alone, and reminds us of all of those who have passed by before us. It demonstrates our ability to change aspects of our neighbourhood and celebrates the residents’ ability to shine as bright as they can with what they have.
