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TIM SMITH/THE BRANDON SUN
Chris Cooper, project co-ordinator and co-curator with the Winter Gardens organizing committee, helps install an outdoor art installation outside Westman Immigrant Services on Pacific Avenue on Friday.
Thousands of green and blue ice globes will soon take shape into "Aurora Ballealis" — one of three outdoor art installations in downtown Brandon.
The city’s first Winter Gardens art project officially opens Feb. 2, and aims to encourage people to get out and explore downtown Brandon during the winter months.
"The outdoor locations of downtown Brandon can sometimes be under-appreciated as the temperatures drop, and the Winter Gardens project will be an interactive celebration of public art," said Chris Cooper, art educator with the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.
The goal of these three contemporary art projects is to act as a vehicle to bring the community together and spark dialogue, Cooper said.
"Gardens are places of reflection, contemplation and activity. They are in constant transformation and change, places where knowledge is shared and exchanged."
TIM SMITH/THE BRANDON SUN
Kevin Bertram and Chris Cooper help install an outdoor art installation on Friday.
Last month, artists, designers and architects were invited to submit an idea for the project. The three selected include "Aurora Ballealis," which will be located at the YMCA. This installation is designed by Public City, a group of architects, artists and teachers.
"The green and blue ice globes will follow the undulating forms of the snow. Ideas of ‘possible gardens’ and connections to the natural Prairie grasslands will be explored," states the description.
Many community members helped prepare the ice globes and will place them on-site with the design team.
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Children prepare pieces for the Winter Gardens art project at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.
The Winter Gardens officially open at 6 p.m. on Feb. 2. An opening hot chocolate party will be held at the YMCA site from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Another site will be at Westman Immigrant Services, the former Canadian Pacific Railway station. Local artist Chris Reid and her team have designed "Axis Bridge," a collaborative sculptural installation that encourages people to engage with the landscape near 1000 Pacific Ave., while exploring historical and current ties to place and community.
"The Winter Garden that sits beside the station brings to mind the historical Station Gardens that once graced rail stations across Canada," states the description. "These traditional gardens served as friendly reminders of ‘home’ to European immigrants."
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Artists prepare pieces for the Winter Gardens art project at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.
This site will see a contemporary garden filled with organic, lacy, wooden cutouts.
A third site will be in front of Brandon City Hall with "Avian Urban Ecology" by James Culleton, Chris Pancoe and Michael Koch-Schulte. This garden will see 101 birds installed in the trees.
"Stepping into the garden we begin to discover painted wooden birds perched throughout the trees, and as we move through the garden we find ourselves immersed in an interactive soundscape," states the description.
The project is organized by the AGSM in partnership with StoreFront Manitoba, Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation, Renaissance Brandon and Community Futures, plus tremendous community support.
The Winter Gardens will run Feb. 2-March 31.
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