Are you an artist with an interest in public art?
Here’s a unique chance to put your stamp on a downtown New Westminster talking point – the infamous Front Street “stairway to nowhere.”
The stairs, for those who have been out of the loop, were built as part of the city’s Front Street Mews project. When the western portion of the parkade was taken down, the city had to replace the existing fire exit ramp and stairs for the building next door, at 642 Front St. However, the fire escape became a subject of much discussion because the structure stood in the middle of the sidewalk and didn’t connect to the building.
The structure is now connected, by the way – but the city’s plans to turn it into a public art project are moving on ahead. It’s a functional fire escape, but the city also wants to add some dazzle in the form of “innovative and interactive” public art work, as a city call to artists says.
The city is seeking art that will integrate a programmable, multimedia or new media component such as light or sound.
See www.tinyurl.com/NWArtistCalls2018 for all the details.
Submissions must be in by March 1, and the art project has a budget of $70,000. The city is aiming for complete installation by July 1 this year.
