Art Windsor-Essex, the new name for the Art Gallery of Windsor, has chosen Amherstburg as its first stop as it seeks to bolster its presence and promote the arts in Essex County.
Five pieces of public art will be showcased around Town this year beginning in June, and an additional five will be featured next year, complementing an array of colourful murals already on display and creating a vibrant, walking tour for residents and tourists alike.
The project mirrors a successful street art project installed in Windsor in 2021 that delighted passersby and generated significant positive media coverage. There will be no cost to the Town or its residents as the costs of this two-year project are being fully covered by Richard and Colleen Peddie, who live and own businesses in Amherstburg.
“The goals of the project, ‘Look Again! Outside! Amherstburg Edition’ are to support the cultural vibrancy of downtown Amherstburg; enhance cultural tourism in your Town; and to share images from AWE’s treasured art collection with a broad audience, expanding from Windsor out into Essex County,” said Art Windsor Essex in a presentation submitted to Council. “We are confident that the community and visitors to Amherstburg will enjoy these additions to the downtown, particularly as people continue to spend an increasing amount of time outside.”
The reproduced art works to be displayed this year include works by the Group of Seven and local artist Mary Celestino. The pieces are: A Side Street by Lawren Stewart Harris; Lake Cognaschene by A.Y. Jackson; Tide Pools, Vancouver Island by Arthur Lismer; Pembina Valley by Lionel L. Fitzgerald and Cormorant Colony, Middle Island by Celestino. These five works will be swapped out for another five pieces next year.
The five locations for the pieces, determined in consultation with Town staff, are the post office at 67 Richmond Street, the parking lot across from River Bookshop at Richmond and Ramsay Streets, Park House Museum at Dalhousie and Rankin Streets, near the clock and fountain at the foot of Richmond Street and the entrance to King’s Navy Yard Park at Dalhousie and Murray Streets.
