Artists sought for public installation celebrating Windsor’s 125th birthday

The City of Windsor wants to tell its story through art, all to celebrate a big birthday.

A new program called Windsor125 — funded with $22,000 from the Canadian Department of Heritage — will allow the city to commission a permanent public art installation.

The city wants artists to transform two facades of a cinder-block transformer casing in the parking lot of 401 Riverside Dr. W., between the Art Gallery of Windsor and the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre.

“It’s a highly visible spot,” Cathy Masterson, the city’s manager of cultural affairs, said Monday. “So we hope it gives people a sense of pride in the community. We want people to celebrate this great place we live in.”

The artwork must focus on something to do with the city’s history and its local importance. Windsor became a city in 1892, making this the municipality’s 125th birthday year.

“We’re opening it up for artists to interpret as they wish,” Masterson said. “We’re looking for something interesting. It could be on the birthday aspect, it could be on 125 years, it could be on what the city means to them, it could be on history.”

Officials hope the artwork will help define the city’s history for years to come.

“This is another great opportunity to celebrate Windsor’s 125th birthday through our local artists’ interpretations of our stories,” said Mayor Drew Dilkens. “We are extremely grateful to the federal government for the overwhelming support towards this legacy project in the heart of our cultural hub.”

The budget is $7,350 for the short wall and $14,650 for the long wall.

The deadline for submissions is April 21. Winning projects will be announced May 20. The projects must be complete by June 23 and will be unveiled July 1.

Applications may be made by individual Windsor artists or a group of artist collaborators. For more information or to submit applications, visit the Windsor 125 Public Art Project page.