Port Coquitlam is calling on artists this month to send in ideas for the city’s first Pride Public Art, one of the first installations in B.C. to celebrate the LGBTQ2+ community.
Submissions are due Jan. 28 for artists to design a piece that, when installed this fall, will include the fountain and its seating area at Leigh Square Community Arts Village — next to city hall.
City officials say they’re open to proposals and materials; however, the winning artist must be able to work with the local LGBTQ2+ reps and even have them as co-creators.
Carrie Nimmo, PoCo’s manager of cultural development and community services, told The Tri-City News today (Wednesday) the artwork needs to reflect inclusion and diversity.
“This will be what our community wants,” she said, noting council backed the $17,500 budget last year.
“We are really excited to see a celebration of this kind in our downtown,” added arts and culture co-ordinator Klara Manhal.
Nimmo said the focus groups that city staff met with shied away from the typical rainbow crosswalks as seen in other B.C. cities such as Coquitlam and, in March, in NewPort Village in Port Moody.
To date, there are only a couple of examples of pride public art around the province: In the Jim Deva Plaza in Vancouver (on Bute Street), there’s megaphone soap box to honour Deva’s advocacy work in free speech and gay rights; Kelowna also has a pride mural.
Nicola Spurling, spokesperson for the Tri-Cities Pride Society who pushed Coquitlam for a six-colour rainbow crosswalk, said her group would like to be part of the PoCo evaluation committee.
And she’d like to see the winning artist come from the queer community to best represent LGBTQ2+ values.
“I think it’s a fantastic idea what Port Coquitlam is doing,” she said. “The main goal is to ensure the message of inclusivity is clear and this piece is in a place where people can see it.”
Leigh Square sees draws tens of thousands of visitors a year with the farmers market, seasonal festivals and the city’s two signature events of the year: May Day and the PoCo Grand Prix.
• To apply to the request for submission, visit portcoquitlam.ca/business-development/purchasing/current-opportunities.
