Happy International Sculpture Day!
This year, Saturday April 26th is International Sculpture Day (ISDay). This day of celebration is a global event spearheaded by the International Sculpture Center. The goal of ISDay is to help people learn more about sculpture, and to acknowledge the important contributions of this artform to our culture and society.
Barrie is proud to be home to a number of stunning and engaging public art sculptures – and our next big art installation is coming soon!
Recently announced, Exhale: Memories of Breath, Steam & Campfire Smoke will be the commissioned work of public art included in the Barrie Allandale Transit Terminal project.
Exhale was selected by a jury of third-party stakeholders as the winning piece and approved by Council. The winning artist team, Brad Hindson and Michael Simon, known as Studio F Minus, are based in Toronto. The piece will be a monumental shimmering, kinetic cloud sculpture made of approximately 240 individual mirror finished stainless steel paddles connected to a stainless-steel armature, perched atop two painted structural steel poles. The paddles will rotate and respond to wind while also reflecting the colour of sky at different times of day. The shadows cast by the artwork extend the reach of it and animate the plaza over the course of the day.
The artwork will be installed in fall 2025 as part of the construction project scope.
***
Interested in learning more about public art sculptures in Barrie?
The Barrie Public Art Guide features works in public spaces across Barrie along with mapped locations. Physical copies are also available for pickup at City Hall and tourism outlets.
Barrie’s Public Art Policy was created in 2012 by a committee of arts experts from Barrie and surrounding area. The policy established a Barrie Public Art Committee that works to raise the profile of public art and create a vibrant, animated city full of public art for all to enjoy.
A Public Art Strategy and improvements to the Public Art Policy are being developed as part of the Culture Plan Update.