P U B L I C A R T M A S T E R P L A NC i t y o f H a m i l t o n

Hamilton

FINAL REPORT August 2008

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1 introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 . 1 v i s i o n f o r p u b l i c a r t i n H a m i l t o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 . 2 d e f i n i n g p u b l i c a r t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 . 3 b e n e f i t s o f p u b l i c a r t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 . 4 c o n t e x t f o r H a m i l t o n ’ s p u b l i c a r t m a s t e r p l a n . . . . . 61 . 5 i n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e p u b l i c a r t m a s t e r p l a n . . . . . . . . . 61 . 6 p r i n c i p l e s o f p u b l i c a r t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 . 7 g o a l s o f t h e p u b l i c a r t m a s t e r p l a n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 . 8 o b j e c t i v e s o f t h e p u b l i c a r t m a s t e r p l a n . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 . 9 a r e a c o n t e x t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0

2 process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 . 1 m e d i a r e l a t i o n s / c o m m u n i c a t i o n s p l a n . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 12 . 2 t h e s t e e r i n g t e a m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1

2 . 3 t h e m a y o r a n d c i t y c o u n c i l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 12 . 4 k e y i n t e r n a l a n d e x t e r n a l s t a k e h o l d e r c o n t a c t s . 1 32 . 5 c o m m u n i t y w o r k s h o p s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 32 . 6 o n - l i n e s u r v e y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 42 . 7 w h a t w a s h e a r d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5

3 site selection .........................................................173 . 1 s i t e s e l e c t i o n c r i t e r i a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8

4 priority Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 . 1 S e l e c t e d S i t e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0

5 site/type recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 . 1 d e f i n i t i o n s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1

6 recommendations for implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366 . 1 f i n a l r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 6

appendices ........................................................41

A identified sites and scoring matrix

B project stakeholders

C consultation documentation

D project support documentation

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e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r yiiThe Hamilton Public Art Master Plan is an important tool in the ongoing implementation of the City’s Public Art Program.

The primary intent of the Public Art Master Plan is to identify and prioritize potential sites and opportunities for new public art projects within the city. Notwithstanding, the Public Art Master Plan is intended as a living document that will evolve in accordance with changes in urban development and policy.

Developed in consultation with City Staff, internal and external stakeholders and the public, the Public Art Master Plan has identified the following 14 priority sites for public art. Though the Public Art Master Plan process has prioritized these 14 sites, it is not intended to direct the sequence in which these public art projects will be initiated.

The 14 priority sites for public art in Hamilton are:

> King William – James to Ferguson (Art Walk)

> Memorial Square (Ancaster Town Square)

> Dundas Driving Park

> Pedestrian Crossing at the QEW

> Battlefield Park

> Gage Park

> James Street – Escarpment to The Bay

> Waterfront Trails

> Red Hill Valley Trail

> Binbrook Fairground/Old Town Hall

> York Boulevard – Dundurn to Bay

> Hamilton City Hall

> Gore Park

> Fieldcote Memorial Park

The Public Art Master Plan provides recommendations on potential types of public art, materials, scales and costs for each of the 14 priority sites.

In addition, over 200 potential sites (Appendix C) for public art are identified for future consideration.

In order to successfully implement the Public Art Master Plan, the Culture Division must continue its lead role in working together with other City Departments to ensure the coordination of public art projects with current and upcoming planning and development initiatives. Furthermore, the City must continue to work collaboratively with community stakeholders to foster and leverage potential partnership opportunities for public art projects.

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Waterfront Trails; Hamilton, Ontario Opportunities for Public Art exist along Hamilton’s Waterfront Trail System

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The City of Hamilton is committed to enlivening and enhancing the environment of the city for its citizens, businesses and visitors through the integration of public art in public places.

Public art contributes to an overall sense of place, promotes tourism and contributes to the economic vitality of the city. Public art is integrated in public places through the City’s planning initiatives, public work projects and the implementation of a collaborative public art process involving City staff, artists and the community.

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d e f i n i n g p u b l i c a r t1.2The City of Hamilton’s definition of public art is: Public Art is art created by artists or in collaboration with artists through a public process and existing in publicly accessible City of Hamilton property.

The process is a City led formal selection method whereby artists are invited to share their vision to enhance public places, for the benefit of all residents and visitors, through the medium of art.

Types of public art may be one or more of the following: permanent or temporary, functional or aesthetic, site specific, integrated, semi-integrated or discrete.

For the purposes of the Public Art Master Plan defining what Public Art is, is a critical first step. Not all art in the public realm is Public Art. In understanding what Public Art is, the City of Hamilton makes a clear distinction between Public Art and art in the public realm. Public Art refers only to art in the public realm that has undergone a specific process.

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The creation of public art in Hamilton results in the following benefits:

> Public Art creates a clear sense of community pride and identity.

> Public Art reflects Hamilton’s cultural heritage, fosters an understanding of the city’s unique identity in history and presents the cultural identity of Hamilton to visitors.

> Public Art improves and enhances the built environment.

> Public Art contributes to the development of a more pleasant, safe and viable community.

> Public Art enhances tourism and economic development creating an overall sense of place.

> Public Art creates cultural links through the promotion of opportunities for community development, community engagement and community partnerships.

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Cities around the world are increasingly realizing the economic and social benefits, as well as the quality of life enhancements that flow from creativity and investment in culture. In addition to bringing vibrancy to a city’s public realm, public art is a tremendous source of civic pride and conveys the identity and cultural image of the city.

The City of Hamilton has promoted and facilitated the development of public art projects since City Council approved the Art in Public Places Policy in 1992, and the subsequent implementation of the Public Art Program in 1994.

Opportunities for public art have also been conveyed through various planning initiatives including the 2003 Hamilton Downtown Mobility Street Master Plan (Bay, James, John, Hunter and Cannon Streets), the City’s Streetscape Master Plans and Secondary Plans. Most notably, the 2001 Downtown Secondary Plan (Putting People First: The New Land Use Plan for Downtown) implemented a percent for art funding component. However, citing implementation challenges with the percent for art program, the City has recently approved annual block funding for Public Art through the capital budget process.

Building on these initiatives and the new block funding mechanism, the Public Art Master Plan is a tool for strategic planning and provides guidance to Staff ensuring that each public art installation considers the site’s unique features and cultural significance, and achieves the highest level of artistic quality and public benefit.

The Public Art Master Plan is designed to provide a framework to select and prioritize sites for public art, and to establish the criteria to be used to select future sites. The Public Art Master Plan will ensure that public art projects consider the characteristics of each community, its people and their stories, and reflect the environment in which it will be located. Most importantly, the Public Art Master Plan ensures that public art installations make living in Hamilton, and traveling through the city’s streets, open spaces and parks, an engaging and more pleasurable experience for residents and visitors.

It is generally recognized that public art has the potential to boost economic development and tourism by creating destinations for visitors and residents. For this very reason, a growing number of North American cities have successfully developed comprehensive public art programs. In a number of cities including Toronto, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Chicago and Barcelona among others, public art has been regarded as a significant urban revitalization tool and integrated as part of the planning process to rejuvenate and enliven city districts. Therefore, Hamilton’s Public Art Master

Plan must be considered a fundamental component in the City’s current and future planning and economic development projects and initiatives.

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The Public Art Master Plan is grounded in the following overall principles:

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1. Public Art strengthens an individual’s soul and the collective soul of our city.

2. Public Art will encourage new ideas and reflect a variety of artistic expression.

3. Public Art will demonstrate excellence in creativity and design.

4. Public Art will enhance and be reflective of our community.

5. Public Art will take into account public security.

6. Public Art will retain the artist’s original intent through appropriate conservation and maintenance practices.

7. Public Art will retain the moral rights of the artist.

8. Public Art evolves openly through approved City of Hamilton policies, procedures and processes.

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c. Waterfront Trails; Hamilton, Ontario

h. View of waterfall; Hamilton, Ontario

d. DeLuxe Restaurant; King St. West; Dundas, Ontario

e. Memorial Fountain; Gage Park; Hamilton, Ontario

f. Parks Canada Discovery Centre; Hamilton, Ontario

g. Vineyard near Hamilton

b. Wooded area along Escarpment; Hamilton, Ontario

j. Devil’s Punchbowl; Hamilton Mountain,

Hamilton Ontario;

i. Darnley Cascade (Crook’s Hollow Falls); Spencer Creek, Hamilton, Ontario

a. Art Gallery of Hamilton; Hamilton, Ontario

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g o a l s o f t h e p u b l i c a r t m a s t e r p l a n1.7The Hamilton Public Art Master Plan is an important tool in the ongoing implementation of the City’s Public Art Program.

The following details the goals of the Public Art Master Plan as identified in the Request for Proposal.

The overall goal of the Public Art Master Plan is to establish a plan developed in consultation with City Staff, external stakeholders and the public that includes the following:

> Development of public art ideas for three specific locales within the city as designated and prioritized by the City of Hamilton:

1. Downtowns, Town Centres and Business Improvement Areas;

2. Neighbourhoods and Rural Settlement Areas; and

3. Special Character Areas (e.g. Red Hill Creek, The Escarpment, Waterfront, Gateways)

> Identification and prioritization of potential sites within the geographical areas.

> Identification of the types of public art to be considered for each site.

> Supporting rationale for each component of the recommendations.

> Estimated costs for each of the proposed public art projects identified in the plan.

The Public Art Master Plan is a guiding document designed to prioritize sites and opportunities for public art and inform capital budget requests. The Public Art Master Plan incorporates recommendations for public art projects and opportunities into new Secondary Plans and other urban design and planning studies. The Public Art Master Plan is a living document and should be updated like all other plans and programs.

In identifying and prioritizing key public art opportunities, the Public Art Master Plan builds upon ongoing planning, development and revitalization initiatives in the urban and rural communities within Hamilton.

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o b j e c t i v e s o f t h e p u b l i c a r t m a s t e r p l a n1.8 1The following details the specific objectives of the Public Art Master Plan as identified in the Request for Proposal.

In addition to the overall goals of the Public Art Master Plan, the specific objectives are to:

1. Develop definitions of public art in addition to those currently used by the City.

2. Develop and implement an internal staff consultation process.

3. Develop and implement, in conjunction with staff, a public consultation process.

4. Determine, through an internal staff and public consultation process, appropriate ideas for the development of public art within five specific locales as designated and prioritized by the City.

5. Identify, through an internal staff and public consultation process, potential sites for the inclusion of public art in City-designated geographical areas within the five City-prioritized locales.

6. Provide rationale supporting the recommendations of potential sites for the inclusion of public art within the City-designated geographical areas.

7. Prioritize, through an internal staff and public consultation process, potential sites for the placement of public art within the City-designated geographical areas.

8. Recommend the types of public art to be considered for each site within the City-designated geographical areas.

9. Provide rationale supporting the recommen-dations for the:

> Prioritization of sites for public art within the City-designated geographic area.

> Selection of types of public art within the City-designated geographic area based on a scale. Provide definitions for each scale.

Estimate the costs of each of the proposed public art projects identified in the plan.

Submit X and Y map coordinates for each of the proposed public art locations.

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1The Public Art Master Plan encompasses the entire city of Hamilton and all of its urban and rural communities. Given the vast area of the city, the Public Art Master Plan is divided into six geographic areas. This division ensures that all areas within the city are considered in the Public Art Master Plan and will aid in future implementation and balancing priorities between different areas of the city. The six geographic areas used by the Public Art Master Plan are as follows:

1. Hamilton – Lower City Wards 1-8

2. Stoney Creek Wards 9-11north

3. Dundas Ward 13

4. Flamborough/Waterdown Wards 14-15

5. Ancaster Ward 12

6. Hamilton[ Mountain] & Glanbrook Ward 11south

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11 South

11 North

Credits: The Hamilton Public Art Master Plan was prepared by the Culture Division, Community Services Department in consultation with:

The Planning Partnership, Jane Perdue, TCA Architects and Public Art Management.

N o t e : T h e P u b l i c A r t M a s t e r P l a n l o g o , o f t e n a p p e a r i n g i n t h e t o p l e f t c o r n e r o f e a c h s p r e a d , i s b a s e d o n t h e a r t w o r k e n t i t l e dT h e G a t h e r i n g , b y To r L u k a s i k - F o s s ; l o c a t e d a t t h e D o m i n i c A g o s t i n o R i v e r d a l e C o m m u n i t y C e n t r e , H a m i l t o n , O n t a r i o . R á f a g a U n l e a s h e d , P i e r 8 b y V & E D a m d e N o g a l e s