NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF GUELPH
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Robert Cram and Eldon Garnet have been commissioned to create the Wilson Street public art project — a permanent, outdoor art installation — at the corner of Wilson and Gordon streets.
“We couldn’t be happier with the winning proposal,” adds Stacey Dunnigan, manager of Culture and Tourism for the City of Guelph. “This artwork will come to life alongside the Wilson Street Parkade and give natural animation to the streetscape.”
Their project concept features four standing, polished bronze deer contrasted against urban downtown Guelph. The deer will be embedded with simple architectural shapes that reference the Basilica of Our Lady, the historic Priory residence, Guelph Farmers’ Market and the former Carnegie Library.
In Cram and Garnet’s proposal, the four deer represent a community living together, both in past wilderness and the present urban moment.
After being one of three shortlisted candidates from 53 entries, the Toronto pair competed in the final stage by developing their preliminary proposal, preparing renderings and a model of their work, and providing a budget and timeline. They presented their work to the selection committee that recommended Cram and Garnet’s proposal to the City’s Council-appointed Public Art Advisory Committee who unanimously voted in favour of their commission.
“Their [work] is a highly intelligent and compelling project,” says Robert Enright, a selection committee member and research professor at the University of Guelph’s School of Fine Art and Music. “I am optimistic that their combination of geometric form and poetic sense of the natural world will make their Wilson Street sculpture a favourite among drivers and pedestrians in the city.”
Cram and Garnet’s final artwork is scheduled for installation in May 2019.
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