In a city that is growing as quickly as Toronto, and where one new high-density neighbourhood might be mistaken for the next, public art will have an increasing role to play in helping to create an identity for its surrounding blocks. Now, Waterfront Toronto has announced a competition as part of its West Don Lands Public Art Strategy to select works to grace the upcoming neighbourhood with art. 

Proposals for three public art sites along Front Street east of Cherry have been received from artists from across Canada, the US, the UK, France, and Germany. The proposals are being evaluated by a panel of distinguished art experts along with a member of the local community. The jury will announce their recommendations later in May, and the works will be installed by the summer of 2015, in time for the 2015 Pan Am Games. 

Pan/Parapan Am Games Legacy submission by Jun Kaneko

Each artwork site along Front Street has been given a different theme. Following is a list of the artists whose work is being evaluated at each site:

Pan/Parapan American Games Legacy

• Buttress Ltd. - Oculus
• Jun Kaneko - Temporarily Untitled
• John Alan McEwen - The Legacy of Rings and Animals
• Blue Republic
• Third of May Arts Inc.

Children's Art Zone

• Ernest Daetwyler - Where the Wild Things Are
• FRIENDSWITHYOU - The Sound of Time
• Young and Giroux Project Inc. - untitled
• Atleier Daily Tous Les Jours Inc.
• Implosion Post Media Ltd.

Front Street Landmark

• Havel Rock Projects - Tkaronto
• Tadashi Kawamata - untitled
• Rodney LaTourelle - City Units
• Paul Raff Studios - Waking Hours

Front Street Landmark submission by Rodney LaTourelle: "City Units"

More images and detailed descriptions of the meaning and symbolism associated with each submission can be found on Waterfront Toronto's news page, linked here. It's an interesting bunch of works, and it may be difficult for the jury to select just three pieces!

Check back with us and Waterfront Toronto near the end of the month for the results, and in the meantime feel free to contribute to the discussion about this competition in our forum.