Public Art

In October 2024, the Town of Halton Hills hosted a celebration in recognition of a new public art installation marking the municipality’s 50th anniversary. Contemporary painter Denitza was the successful applicant for this project, selected from a pool of applicants responding to the Call for Artists to produce an artwork responding to the theme of Connected Communities: celebrating the people, places, nature, environment, and the urban and rural areas that make up Halton Hills.

Denitza’s creation is a large-scale vinyl mural that adorns the large windows in the publicly accessible Town Hall atrium. Artist Denitza noted that the intent was to create a visual tribute to Halton Hills, celebrating the diverse and interconnected elements that define the Town. Look for recognizable landmarks within the artwork, while taking in the vibrant hues of Halton Hills throughout the seasons.

Kelcy Timmons Chan’s artwork on the banners installed at the entrance of the Library & Cultural Centre, Cultural Impact is a whimsical interpretation of the building's main facilities. Both panels mimic the exact architecture that exists in the real spaces in bold and vibrant colours, giving viewers a sneak peek into the centre and all the creative ways that one can participate. 

The panel under the Cultural Centre sign depicts the John Elliott Theatre and highlights the performers, the stage, the audience, as well as the backstage technicians, epitomizing how a show is brought to life and the many parts that are involved. The panel under the Library sign shows the art gallery and public library. On the top of the panel, workers are bringing in a large painting for installation and the signature stained glass window from the space is featured. The bottom of the panel depicts the public library where folks are learning, reading and sharing books.

The figures in Kelcy’s work are always the colour purple nodding to the queer community and represent that any person can be any gender. The similarity and simplicity of the people is to highlight that they all have something in common that bonds them as a community; in this case, it’s their love of arts, music and culture.

A funding recipient of “The Artist Next Door,” Halton Hills artist and colouring book creator Arielle Rahal transformed two 4x8 plywood panels into canvases for the public to colour, and enjoy. During a Culture Days workshop in October of 2022, Halton Hills residents of all ages gathered to collaborate and paint Arielle’s colouring panels.

These community panels feature the historic McGibbon Hotel and the Limestone Conservation Area. Find these panels installed at the corner of Main and Mill Streets in Georgetown this fall. These colourful panels weave heritage and community into a downtown construction site, for the public to enjoy. Find out more about Colour it Air. 

The Bell Box Mural Project uses existing Bell Canada infrastructure as canvases to enliven the streetscape and feature the work of artists. The first boxes were painted in 2022. This is an ongoing initiative in partnership with Bell Canada. Check out the Bell Box Mural Project webpage for details and stay tuned for additional painted box locations!  

Under Wraps re-imagines utility boxes as canvases to enliven the streetscape. Discover the box locations and learn about the artists on the Under Wraps web page. 

After Nature was the first project the town undertook under the Public Art Master Plan. Banners were on display in six outdoor locations throughout the Town of Halton Hills. In response to requests from the community, the 2020 'After Nature' public art banner series was re-installed in select locations in spring 2021. 

The designs for Ingrid Mayrhofer's banners are based on her series of collagraph prints about climate change and at-risk species. The images resonate with both the built and natural environments. The compositions incorporate historical buildings of Halton Hills with images of flora and fauna native to Ontario. While many of these species are on the endangered list in Ontario, they are still present in the natural areas in the region.

Mayrhofer's method of individually inking parts of her plates results in vivid separations of colour that remain unified through the stylized lines and textures. With vibrant textures, colour and the layered feeling of the imagery, Mayrhofer intends to celebrate the past of Halton's built history while simultaneously drawing attention to the fragility of the future of our natural environment. 

About Ingrid Mayrhofer

Since her student years at York University (MFA, MA), Ingrid has placed her art production in its social context. In addition to her double studio major in printmaking and photography, she has worked with new media, and also employs printmaking techniques to create narratives for her pottery. Having moved away from overt “political” imagery in the nineties, she initiated a long-term hands-on intervention with culture and nature in 2000. Her practice includes numerous community art collaborations and curatorial projects, as well as international artists' exchanges. Since moving to Hamilton, she has participated in four public art banner projects there, as well as showing her work across Canada and abroad. Visit Ingrid Mayrhofer's website.  

Species represented in banners

After Nature highlights at risk species in Halton Region and Ontario. Look for these species in the banner images and the natural world.