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Calling artists in the Okanagan Valley

Lake Country Public Art Commission is looking for artists to design a sculpture for Canada’s 150th.
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Entrance to the Valley, is carved marble, and was created by Shangzi Zhu from Beijing, China. (Photo Contributed)

Come one, come all Okanagan Valley artists to be a part of Canada’s 150th birthday.

The Lake Country Public Art Commission is looking for artists to design an interactive sculpture, themed after Canada.

The sculpture will be part of a Canada-themed symposium which commission chairperson Sharon McCoubrey said will include talks, events and hopefully aboriginal elements.

The idea came a year ago, “We then and still do kind of want to have first nations involvement or part to it. We hope to have a number of related activities we hope to have during the summer as well,” she said, adding the commission has been working with the Okanagan Indian Band.

“We’re hoping those related activities will allow us to celebrate our First Nations.”

As a sculpture symposium, there will be related activities and possibly other artists working on site.

“They benefit because they’re there working with other artists,” said McCoubrey.

She said depending on the sculpture, the plan is for the artist to build part or all of the piece outside in one of the surrounding parks to be interactive in the community.

“So that the general public can watch what is happening. Now that means people can come regularly to visit the site,” she said.

McCoubrey said examples of interactive sculptures.

In Times Square in New York, a Canadian created a series of red and black cylinders, when looked at it from a certain point, one could see a heart that people could walk through.

In Osgoode Hall in Toronto at the law court, there are figures shaped like a jury, except one of the jurors is missing. Viewers can stand in the missing spot and think of their role in there, she said.

“There are many many different ways in which the sculpture can be interactive,” she said, adding lights can be one element.

The deadline is Apr. 15 for artists to submit a proposal. A proposal will be selected Apr. 30 with the official opening of the symposium on July 1.

The artist selected will receive a $50,000 commission for the piece.

Proposals can be emailed to sharon.mccoubrey@ubc.ca and for more information visit www.okanaganway.ca/2017/02/public-art-call-canada150/.