City launches Centennial Park Festival Plaza Art Competition

With support from the Fort St. John Arts Council, the City of Fort St. John is hosting a public art competition that offers local artists the opportunity to leave a lasting impression in the Centennial Park Festival Plaza.

The plaza, which will be located on the southeast corner of 100 Street and 96 Avenue, was identified in the Downtown Action Plan as one of 10 Big Moves to Energize the Downtown. The development will consist of a covered shelter, food truck stalls, performance space and washrooms.

Additionally, the plaza design has strong influences from local ecology, landforms, culture and events developed through conversations with local First Nations and community members, and features:

• Eight leaning wood poles mimicking the placement of natural wood poles as the skeleton structure of a teepee, artistic paving patterns
• Artistic paving patterns throughout the site with a variety of coloured concrete surfaces, including a coloured river that mimics the alignment of the Peace River through the Fort St. John region
• Bronze paw prints impressed directly into the concrete surfaces placed to exactly replicate true gaits and spacing of each animal
• Fire obelisks that include a large gas-fueled fire cauldron within an enclosed steel structure, each of these four structures will feature imagery inspired by one of four themes

Artists are invited to submit concepts for the creation of the cut-out imagery that will adorn the fire obelisks. Each fire obelisks has four flat metal sides that will have cut-out designs featuring the winning artwork from this competition. Winners will be selected by a three-member selection panel, who will score the submission using a criteria matrix, and each winning submission will receive a $2,000 honorarium.

“Fort St. John and the surrounding area is home to some incredible artists, and we cannot wait to showcase their creations in this unique way,” said Mayor Lori Ackerman.

For more information about the Centennial Park Festival Plaza Art Competition, visit www.fortstjohn.ca/festival-plaza.

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Media Contact:
Ryan Harvey
Communications Coordinator
250-794-3313