By Julie Smithers
A local group is busy trying to bring a new skatepark, greenspace and artists’ space to Centertown.
Organizers would like to see the park, called the Piece Park, built at the Ottawa Technical high school on Albert Street. The group envisions using this space because of its diverse elements including a large field, basketball courts, community garden and it has Ottawa’s only legal graffiti wall.
The wall would be the focal point for the artists’ role in the park. Pat Thompson, one of the project’s organizers, would also like to see other artistic creations including sculptures and musical performances in the park.
Robin Sokoloski, who is also helping organize the project, says it is important to have art out in the open where anyone can appreciate it and not just behind closed doors in a museum.
“I really feel that Ottawa has a lot of potential to bring arts to the outside and bring it to the public instead of people going into museums and galleries. I think it is time for art to evolve and become more interactive with its community and instead of just being canvases on the wall they can actually be out there in the public and the audience can participate,” he says.
“I think it will give them (young artists) a means to express themselves in the public forum,” says Nathan Hauch, the Ottawa Youth Cabinet’s representative for Somerset Ward.
Hauch says he supports the Piece Park initiative because it would strengthen the community by giving youth a chance to participate in their community and thereby empower both those involved in this project and others who are interested in planning future projects.
Thompson is a local artist who has been involved in graffiti art for the past ten years. He says the park’s design would be based on the ideas of artists because the group wishes to beautify the area, not just have it full of cement.
“It’s an idea that may be contradictory to people’s perception of what a graffiti painter would be because some see graffiti painters as out to destroy. When in actual fact a lot of the people who paint on Tech Wall are trying for something to beautify at least the space itself if not the entire city that they take on as their canvas,” says Thompson.
Sokoloski and Thompson say their ideas for Piece Park fit well with the City of Ottawa’s 20/20 arts plan, which encourages residents’ access to “a flourishing arts scene that . . . makes neighbourhoods more livable and adds vibrancy to main streets.” The plan recommends establishing new spaces in which artists can create.
However, at this time Hauch says the city council has no money to purchase the Ottawa Technical high school from the Ottawa Carleton District School Board. While the organizers say this land would be ideal, if they cannot use the area they say they would consider another location.
Sokoloski says the group already has several community partners who are very interested in seeing the plan succeed. They also are planning to hold fundraising events to support the plan.
Next, the group intends to talk to Somerset Ward Coun. Elisabeth Arnold later this month about the park and consult further with the community.