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Artists
Bonnie Kubica, Marcy Palmer, Casandra Lee, Miguel Hernández Autorino, Anica James, Araura Marche, Brooklin Holbrough, Garrett Gilbart, Tia Cavanagh, Kollene Drummond, Naomi Duvall, Aaron Robitaille
Site I Site II
Site III Site IV
About the Artists’ Garden Project and the Road Mural Project
In April, the City of Peterborough invited artists to submit proposals for two distinct but related public art projects: The Artists’ Garden Project and The Road Mural Project.
Collectively named Renaissance on Hunter, the two initiatives called on artists to animate the lane closures along Hunter Street and transform the corridor into a welcoming and engaging pedestrian space for the warm weather season. This broadly defined call was intended to welcome a range of responses. Anchored by endorsements from the mayor and the Arts Culture and Heritage Advisory Committee, it also gave artists an opportunity to think about how we may navigate the pandemic recovery together, and let healing begin.
"Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have turned to the arts for comfort. When we are willing to ask ourselves what it means to live together, and as we look towards healing, we must also look to our artists. For artists hold the possibility of hope in their creations."
— City of Peterborough, Arts, Culture and Heritage Advisory Committee, 2021
Responses to the call came from emerging and established artists and ad hoc artist teams working in a range of disciplines and media.
The living artworks and network of murals they created for Renaissance on Hunter evoke ideas around ecology, sustainability and food security, diversity, inclusivity, resilience, and compassion. Within a brief Hunter Street stroll the gardens and murals also remind us of the vibrancy of our community, what it means to walk together or share a meal, and the joy of moving freely, playfully, and safely. Always safely.
The Renaissance on Hunter is the first public art project of its kind in our city. It was developed in consultation with the Planning and Transportation Divisions and Accessibility Office, and is being presented in partnership with Artspace, the Downtown Business Improvement Area and GreenUp. It is being administered and funded through the City’s Public Art Program.
We are grateful for the support of this community and for the care and expertise the selection committee members brought to the proposal review process. We extend our deepest appreciation to all the artists who applied.
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Gardens
Bonnie Kubica and Marcy Palmer’s Hunter Shelter gardens are comprised of living, dying and constructed elements envisioned to provide an “opportunity for us to creatively think about how built structures and temporary urban spaces can support living species.”
Fragments cut from a 30’ long tree limb, installed sequentially in each planter from Aylmer Street to the Hunter St. parkade are accompanied by unconventional planting groupings. Plants from the tree’s native environment grow beside a careful selection of introduced, non- native, and ornamental plantings, as well as drought tolerant, pollinator friendly species, and culinary plants. The groupings were planned to represent “the realities of a complex urban landscape” and “honour the diversity and vibrancy of the people and businesses in the district”. Together, the nine planters making up the Hunter Shelter Gardens are intended “to encourage people to look for wildness, resilience and energy.”
Marcy Palmer is a Peterborough-based artist, and urban food and forest advocate. Marcy has shown her sculpture widely in Canada and the U.S., including the Portland Museum of Art, PDX Contemporary Art, Yukon Arts Centre, and the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery. As a complement to her art practice, Marcy devotes the summer months to beekeeping, re-wilding landscapes and designing gardens in the region. She holds a MFA in Visual Art from the University of Victoria and earned a Permaculture Design certificate in Occidental, CA. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in landscape architecture at the University of Calgary, focusing on climate change adaptation in urban environments.
Bonnie Kubica is an artist and well-known local chef and proprietor of BE Catering, a food and people-based business established in Peterborough in 1998. During Covid she has been devoting time to developing her textile art, which is largely inspired by gardens and nature. Bonnie adores the diversity, energy, music and love that Hunter Street holds, and found the opportunity to participate in the Renaissance on Hunter Artists’ Garden project very close to her heart. She holds a BFA in Photography from the University of Ottawa and graduated with distinction from Stratford Chef’s School.
Road Mural
Miguel Hernandez and Casandra Lee’s Picnic by Water focuses on multiculturalism, inclusivity, and the beauty of the Canadian landscape and culture.
“We both loved the idea of a deck and stepping stones to encourage playfulness, movement, and interaction with the mural. As newcomers to Canada, multiculturalism and inclusivity were important components to add into our image. Casandra suggested a picnic and food from different cultures. The New Canadians Centre kindly provided us with a list of the top countries of origin for newcomers to Peterborough (Syria, India, Philippines, China, Vietnam, Mexico, China, South, Korea, Iraq, Colombia). This diversity is reflected in the picnic offerings. Miguel had the idea of ants carrying the food to represent people celebrating together and building community. We invited community members to write “hello” in their first language on stepping-stones throughout the mural . The picnic blanket is an analogy to Canada and Peterborough as a welcoming place to immigrants and refugees."
Miguel Hernández Autorino is a Venezuelan oil painter, muralist and designer living in Peterborough, since 2016. He has participated in multiple First Friday Art Crawls and created numerous public art pieces in downtown Peterborough, including institutions such as PRHC, Health Unit Peterborough, and The New Canadians Centre. Miguel sits on the Board of Directors at the Art School of Peterborough and is an active volunteer of the New Canadians Centre. Throughout the year, he teaches private lessons and drawing classes at the Art School of Peterborough. He is an honours graduate in Industrial Design from Los Andes University in Venezuela.
Casandra Lee is an Asian-American visual artist and author, living in Peterborough since 2019. Casandra collaborated with The Centre for Women and Trans People, and The New Canadians Centre (NCC). Her artwork has been part of six publications in the last year. Casandra has written and illustrated two children’s books including The Sun Dance (2014) and Building a Home (2021) which will be released later this year with the NCC. In July, a video of her oil painting will be part of the Borderless Music and Arts Festival. Casandra is a Montessori teacher at the Kawartha Montessori School. She holds a B.A from the University of California.
www.casandralee.com
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| Site II |
Gardens
The Bee a Good Companion community vegetable and herb gardens created by Anica James and her 10-year-old business partner and neighbour, Araura Marche, emphasize compassion for strangers.
“The pandemic has been hard on everyone…We want to encourage everyone who sees the planter boxes to grow food and flowers for their own well-being, while showing them how much can be achieved in a small space… By mixing edibles like tomatoes, basil and lettuce with Cosmos, Zinnias, and Calendula, we hope that our planters will be a colourful feast for both humans and pollinators…and that the vegetables and herbs will be consumed and enjoyed by those in need.”
Anica James is a multidisciplinary artist, and the owner and operator of two small local gardening businesses: Trowel + Shears and Growing Upright. Her photographic work has been published in several publications including Maclean’s, Le Monde, Photographers Without Borders magazine, Varoom magazine, The Atlantic, The Kathmandu Post, Kawartha Now, Vice, and CBC. Her artwork has been exhibited in galleries and art festivals throughout Canada, Nepal, and the UK, including the Contact Photo Festival and Nuit Blanche in Toronto. Anica volunteers her time with nature-based groups such as St. Luke’s Community Garden and Kawartha Land Trust and is currently completing her diploma in Horticulture at the University of Guelph.
Araura Marche’s, art practice and philosophy is inspired by a passion for nature and the overall well-being of the community. At age 10, she is the Creative Director for Growing Upright, an educational vertical gardening company that she operates with her neighbour, Anica. She is currently enrolled at St. Anne’s Catholic School.
Road Mural
Brooklin Holbrough’s Dragon Migration features a vibrant, friendly dragon accompanied by a community of multi-coloured birds.
Brooklin hopes her mural will:
“bring a burst of fantasy, joy and imagination to downtown Peterborough…People can dance down the dragon’s back or come face to face with the magical creature and its entourage of birds…As we safely enjoy the summer in the city, I want to give people permission to indulge in magical thinking. It’s so important to embrace play, imagination, and community: these are the things that get us through the hard times.”
Brooklin Holbrough is an artist and illustrator based in Peterborough, her hometown. A recent grad with Distinction from OCAD University’s illustration program, much of her work explores the many ways mythology shapes our realities. As a freelance illustrator she develops children’s media, including picture books and graphic novels, and has published two children’s books. Brooklin’s curiosity and passion for creating art that ignites, excites, and heals has led her to expand her focus to murals and community art.
www.brooklinstormie.ca
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| Site III |
Gardens
Garrett Gilbart’s Field and Forest gardens comprises a series of screens depicting local plants and native species hand cut from sheet steel and installed alongside scavenged field stone, cedar rails and drought resistant plantings. As with much of his work, the silhouette renderings and organic elements in his gardens explore themes of nature, industrialization and the politics of land and being.
Garrett Gilbart is a draftsman, carpenter, welder, and fabricator who specializes in freehand torch cutting using a plasma cutter, a tool that is typically mounted on a computer-controlled CNC machine. Through handheld manipulation he achieves a more organic form and can work outside of the limits of the computers. In typical years Garrett participates in over twenty Arts and Craft Markets, outdoor exhibitions, and art fairs.
Garrett attended the Integrated Arts Program at PCVS and studied welding and fabrication at Sir Sanford Fleming. He holds a BFA in Intermedia from NSCAD University and completed a year’s study at The Gerrit Rietveld Académie in Amsterdam.
He works on metal fabrication projects, personal projects, and public art pieces from his studio and farm outside Peterborough.
burnisland.ca
Road Mural
Tia Cavanagh’s Miikaans touches on themes of inclusion, community and walking together.
“The meaning behind this design is derived from the Miikaans (feather) Teachings (the Anishinaabe teachings on life). The eagle feather represents the path we walk, and along the path there are seven stages of life: Birth, Puberty, Wanderer, Gifts, Life Purpose, Self-Actualization and Elderhood. The black design overlaying the feather is an illustration that is traditionally used to represent Miikaans. Along the paths, animal prints honour the animals that walked before and continue to. The coloured chevrons are derived from the pride flag (a more current one which includes trans colours and black and brown) and the four colours of the medicine wheel.”
Tia Cavanagh is a multi-disciplinary artist who uses paint, wood, fabric, sculpture, and projection in her practice. For her, storytelling, process, discovery, and new meaning are at the core of art making. With these aspects at the root, she continues to explore approaches and understanding through the creative lens of an Indigenous woman drawing upon Indigenous research methodologies. Originally from the northern shores of Lake Huron in Ontario, Tia has lived and studied in Peterborough, Montreal, and Toronto. She holds a BFA from OCAD University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Canadian and Indigenous Studies at Trent University.
tiacavanagh.com
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| Site IV |
Gardens
Kollene Drummond and Naomi Duvall’s Food as Art gardens incorporate repurposed kitchen utensils and crockery, herbs, edible flowers, vegetables, and pollinator-friendly plantings to create a whimsical suite of planters exploring “connections between art, cooking, gardening and the aesthetic side of food plants.”
Each planter is distinct but complementary. Together they move the viewer through the preparation and sharing of a meal to relaxing afterwards.
- Planter 1. Le Potager: A kitchen garden, planted into old cookware and crockery showcasing the beauty of various greens and culinary herbs.
- Planter 2. Dinner Party: A table set for two, with a profusion of edible flowers planted into the dishware. Have a taste!
- Planter 3. Dessert: A towering fountain-like planter with chocolate mint and other trailing plants, lollipop-like plants, and a mixture of candy-striped flowers and small fruits.
- Planter 4. A Cup of Tea: A series of suspended teapots pouring out plants, all planted with herbs one might use for teas.
- Planter 5. Beer Garden: Hops vines spill out of an old wooden cask, rows of wheat and barley grow in the remainder of the planter.
- Planter 6. Smoking Garden: Bearberry plants grow beneath an assemblage of vintage and fanciful ashtrays.
Kollene Drummond is a local artist and gardener with a diverse background in landscaping, farming, cooking, teaching and the circus arts. She has co-created numerous pieces as a circus artist and performed in several shows with the Peterborough Academy of Circus Arts. Her gardening company, Well Grounded is entering its 8th season, designing, installing, and maintaining ecologically friendly, creative gardens in the Peterborough area. Whether involved in landscaping or art projects, time and time again, Kollene circles back to gardening, plants, and the natural world. She holds an Honours B.A from Trent University and a Sustainable Agriculture Certificate from Fleming College.
wellgroundedgardening.com
Naomi Duvall is a regional actor, creator, feminist, and emerging playwright. Dance, puppetry, comedy, passion and honesty feature in her work, and she loves dogs. For the past several years, she has also worked with Kollene’s gardening company, Well Grounded and collaborated with her on several circus shows, including an outdoor production for Artsweek 2017.
Road Mural
Aaron Robitaille’s Hopscotch PTBO was inspired by the widely recognized abbreviation of Peterborough, “PTBO”, which she simplifies into geometric shapes and patterns to create a unique sense of motion that invites the community to experience it as a dance or puzzle.
“Born and raised in Peterborough, I find so much inspiration comes from my hometown. The past year has been quite the journey for most, especially for the creatives of our city. I want to offer this piece...to bring a sliver of colourful organization and amusement to the downtown. Hopscotch PTBO is a celebration of moving forward aiming to reinvigorate the community with the joy and movement of art.”
Aaron Robitaille is a graphic designer with over a decade of experience as a creative problem-solver and visual artist. A graduate of both the Ontario College of Art & Design(2014) and Fleming College (2020), she uniquely merges traditional and digital techniques. Her work covers a wide scope—including mixed-media abstract and realism painting, traditional anatomy illustration, unique installations, and sculptures, to broaching the digital realm developing visual identities, digital illustration, website design and more. Aaron’s artwork can be found in private collections across Ontario and on display in local businesses and schools.
www.aaronrobitaille.design
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