Oct 8th, 2019 – I am pleased to say that I achieved success with Hamilton’s first utility public art project. The new art is installed outside the Dr. J.E. Davey Elementary School at the corner of Ferguson Avenue North and Wilson Street. The located under a tree and on a nice grassy plot of land, the piece has high visuability from all directions.
The mural depicts homes from the surroundings area. The wood and brick 19th century homes are a common sight in the downtown core of Hamilton. The ones shown on mural are from Elgin Street where my grandparents lived in the 1940s and 1950s.
My family came to Canada in the late 19th century and worked in many of the major manufacturing companies that operated in Hamilton. Unlike today, cars either didn’t exist or were too expensive to own. Instead, everyone walked to work or school.
The two large buildings shown on the mural are the old 1920s Firestone Plant that was located off Burlington Street and the 1858 Central Public School located on Hunter Street in Hamilton. When my great grandparents arrived in Hamiltons, learning from experience was the key to getting a good job. By the 1950s, getting a good education had become key to finding a job. The mural marks this transition from work to school over the past 100 years.
I had the good fortunate to be interviewed by CHCH, the local television station in Hamilton, for the evening news. Below is the link to this news piece.
New art initiative by the city of Hamilton adds a splash of colour to downtown
