Award-winning Mi’kmaq artist Jordan Bennett has been chosen to create a public art project for the newly-renovated Dartmouth Sportsplex.
Bennett, who is from Newfoundland but is moving to the Halifax area shortly, will be installing the pieces in time for the Sportsplex’s grand re-opening in January 2019.
“I’m very excited. It’s a huge honour to be able to put some of the artwork that I’ve been working on in the public space,” Bennett said.
READ MORE: City reveals plans for 16-month Dartmouth Sportsplex make over
The $200,000 public art project will include a wall-mounted feature for the new main entrance and include a design to fill 1,500-square-feet of interior window space.
Bennett says he doesn’t want to reveal too much about his design but says it will incorporate a lot of local Mi’kmaq culture.
“A lot of it deals with looking at Mi’kmaq cultural porcupine quill designs and our rich visual culture that we’ve had for countless generations,” he said.
A lot of his design will tell stories connected with Mi’kmaq territory, he added.
The request for proposals for this project received 33 submissions, which were reviewed by a jury that included members of the arts community.
Regional Council approved a policy in 2008 that stipulates one per cent of the total construction costs of new or renovated public municipal facilities will be invested in public art.
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