Plans to develop a parkette to honor Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris will be a topic of discussion during the city’s budget deliberations.
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Councilors, at a planning and administration committee meeting Tuesday, recommended the proposal be referred to the estimates committee. The estimates committee develops both the city’s operations and capital budgets.
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As it now stands, funding for the project which has been capped at $55,000 would come from several sources including $34,000 from the 2024 parks services capital budget and $10,000 from the public art reserve.
A further $6,000 would come from the 2024 parks services operations budget with another $5,000 coming from the tourism budget.
The funding would cover permanent amenities, decor/landscaping, a mural and marketing.
The proposal calls for the parkette to be in space adjacent to the west wall of the downtown branch of the Brantford Public Library.
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A small stage to accommodate a single performers or at most, a small band. The space is across from Laurier University’s Grand River Hall on Colborne Street and well positioned to welcome spectators. The stage and parkette will enhance an otherwise underutilized area, a report prepared for councilors says.
The report says the proposal is, in part, a response to artists requesting public space to perform that doesn’t require a complicated process or costs. Musicians who want to use the space will be required to bring their own equipment.
The mural, one that speaks to the legacy of the Group of Seven artist and Indigenous culture is planned for the wall to serve as a back drop for performers.
“The proposed parkette project at the Brantford Public Library presents an opportunity to beautify a space in the downtown that has historically been underutilized while providing the opportunity for artistic expression and community enjoyment,” the staff report says.
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The city’s economic development, tourism and cultural initiatives advisory committee, which as been working on the proposal, will also come up with a name for the parkette stage for city councilors to consider.
Born in Brantford in 1885, Harris was a founding member of the Group of Seven artists that also included Franklin Carmichael, AY Jackson, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, JEH MacDonald and Frederick Varley. The group debuted with more than 120 paintings on May 7, 1920 at what was then the Art Gallery of Toronto.
Harris died on Jan. 29, 1970 in Vancouver, BC.
The Ontario legislature in 2017 designated Oct 23 – Harris’s birthday as Lawren Harris Day across the province.
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