We have tried to create art studios in all our programs.
We believe children can express their thinking and feelings in multiple different art mediums.
It was, therefore, a natural fit when the City decided to include public art at our West Cambie and Cranberry locations.
The City puts out a call for artists for the site and a community panel goes through the submissions and makes a decision. I have been privileged to be on the art panels for the child care facilities. A fascinating and humbling process. Amazing to see such a diversity of creative ideas and then to work through to consensus with a group of other stakeholders and community members.
At our new centre Cranberry Children's Centre, space for public art was limited.
In the end I was delighted the panel chose THIS whimsical option for the fence.
Once the artists understood the centre had been named "Cranberry Children's Centre" they adapted the colour palette to tie in with the name and the trim of the building.
It has been exciting to watch it (2.5 tons of steel!) come together.
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| Our first glimpse |
I met one of the artists the other day and we had a great conversation. I told him of my excitement that the shadows of the birds and animals would fall on to the playground at certain times of the day and that I was curious about how the children would interact with them.
I expressed my regret that children were not involved in the process, their voices and opinions not sought and that if I was ever on another public art panel I would push hard for us to consider input from the children. He was fascinated by this notion of the children's voice.
So we have invited the artists to come for a visit once we have lived in the space for a while and to dialogue with the children about the fence.
Exciting!
