Construction may have taken over Preston Street, making much of Little Italy dull and dreary for the time being, but with the announcement this week of a winner in the Preston Street public art competition, plans are already in motion to turn the image around and enliven the streetscape.
A creation by Wakefield artist c.j. fleury – one of five finalists whose proposed works were featured in a public showing on Nov. 25 – has been chosen by a panel of judges, with input from the general public. Fleury emerged as the community’s top choice from a group of 23 entrants into a competition in the summer.
Fleury’s project is called Post Cards from Piazzas. She plans to bring old world Italy to Ottawa by building 15 unique, human-sized columns.
Each column will represent a different city in Italy and the styles of the piazzas draw from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods with a contemporary flair.
“I tried to create sense of all these different piazzas through the 15 columns. If you look at them all together you get the idea of the culture of the country,” she says.
City of Ottawa cultural planner Karen Nesbitt, who co-ordinated the competition, says it won't be finished until 2010.
Before commencing, fleury must draft a plan with the city outlining how the refurbished, column-lined street will look.
Local resident Ellen Rodgerson has been excited about the competition since she heard about it.
“Little Italy has the businesses and the restaurants, but it isn’t very picturesque,” she says. “I hope this project can bring art and beauty to the community.”
Fleury says it was important for her to collaborate with the community in her work. Stories and letters from people in the community who originally settled in the neighbourhood will be engraved into the columns.
“The works are like little snapshots of postcards,” says fleury. “They play with time and the immigration experience.”
Fleury said she will be working with Canadian author Mark Furkin to edit the stories and letters which will be written in English, French, and Italian.
Fleury will receive a $185,000 commission for her project, part of Ottawa’s $30-million municipal infrastructure project.