NEWS RELEASE
DOWNTOWN BARRIE BIA
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October brings us nature's colourful mosaic as well as a celebration of our harvest yields. Downtown Barrie is the place to celebrate not only nature's art and abundance but local and regional artists integrating works of art into our landscape and a Thanksgiving event to celebrate our local farm harvest in Meridian Place.
On Oct. 12, bring family and friends down to take in Open Air Meridian Thanksgiving with music, family art activities and more and at the same time make a stop at one of the few remaining outdoor farmer's markets for the season.
Open Air Meridian activities start at 10 a.m. and will continue until 4 p.m. The Barrie's Farmers' Market opens at 9 a.m. and continues until 1 p.m.
Additionally for the month October, integrating and intertwining into Barrie's waterfront and downtown is the outdoor art installation Seeds to Sow, curated by Katie Lawsone and supported by artistic director and City of Barrie public art co-ordinator Carol-Ann Ryan.
The City of Barrie, with support from the Barrie Public Art Committee (BPAC), is proud to announce a temporary exhibition of public art that will take place along Kempenfelt Bay and the downtown core from Sept. 27 to Nov. 8 Seeds to Sow brings together four nationally recognized Canadian artists and two regionally based artists who have been chosen to create six installations of temporary public art, creating a rich dialogue with the existing fabric of the city.
The exhibition title invokes seeds as powerful symbols of hope and potential. It connects us to ongoing cycles of seasonality, an inheritance from our past and an intention for the future. Art in public space provides an opportunity for meaningful conversations – what do we wish to carry forth from seasons past? What kind of future do we wish to cultivate?
The four national artists and artist teams include Adrian Blackwell (Toronto), Lisa Hirmer (Guelph), Maria Hupfield and Jason Lujan of Native Art Department International (Toronto) and Lou Sheppard (Lunenburg, N.S.). Artists were chosen based on their previous experiences in professional public art practice, the diversity of the media they work in and the ideas that their work explores. Each invited artist has spent time in Barrie visiting various sites and researching areas of interest.
Regional artists Amy Bagshaw and Ted Fullerton were the successful candidates in a public art competition held by the City of Barrie. Eighteen submissions from artists across Simcoe County were reviewed by a jury that included a member of the Barrie Public Art Committee, one professional artist and the exhibition curator, Katie Lawson.
Seeds to Sow is generously supported by the Downtown Barrie BIA, Joan Gilroy, Kim Kieller, Jennifer Long-Allen, Barry and Elizabeth Peacock, Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery, RBC Wealth Management Dominion Securities and the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund.
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