New public art piece to be installed at Connaught Square

By Nash Alonto

Sept. 22, 2023

Anne MacAulay walks her dog along Connaught Square every morning. She hopes the upcoming public art piece there will beautify the park, but also to showcase artists in P.E.I. Connaught Square will be the site of a new public art piece that will be installed by Spring next year. (photo by Nash Alonto)

Anne MacAulay walks along Connaught Square with dog every morning. MacAulay likes going to the park because it has both a green space and structures for children to play.

Connaught Square is a public green space located along Pownal Street in Charlottetown, right behind the Charlottetown Library and Learning Centre. Soon, an upcoming public art piece, created with reclaimed wood from old trees that fell when tropical storm Fiona struck P.E.I. in October 2022, will be installed there. MacAulay likes the idea.

“I think we need more art in the city because it beautifies our city, and we have a lot of visitors that come [here]. In addition to our historical significance, we can also just be highlighting P.E.I. artists, hopefully, and showcasing their work,” she said.

Connaught Square was the chosen site for the project because it was impacted by severe storms over the years and has lost trees.

Doug Dumais, the Culture and Economic Coordinator for the city, said the upcoming piece will hopefully inspire people to have the resilience to face future severe weather events as they become frequent.

“Adding components and elements to it (Connaught Square) is a way to make people appreciate it and enjoy spending more time in other great spots in the city,” Dumais said.

The city has so far received six eligible proposals. The winner will be decided by city council after recommendations by a five-member panel of artists and community members and the city’s Economic, Tourism, and Cultural Development Standing Committee.

The selected artist or artist team will get $15,000. They will be chosen based on unique approach, expertise and practicality.

Dumais hopes this upcoming project encourage more public art in the future. The most recent public art piece was installed nine years ago, during the celebration of P.E.I.’s 150th anniversary.

“We’re doing a renewed focus on culture…my hope is that it becomes the next phase of public art in Charlottetown,” he said.

The upcoming art piece is set to be installed at Connaught Square around Spring 2024.