The designs for 40 banners to promote Elliot Lake to be hung in the downtown core and along Highway 108 have been chosen.
The designs were submitted by local artists for judging and were chosen on what is being described by one of the organizers, artist Linda Finn as a “multitude of submissions from all ages.”
The intent is to brighten up the downtown and display works by local artists who are working from home due to COVID-19 restrictions. The theme is “Our Town.”
“We really wanted to see something happen this summer but needed to choose something that would encourage artists to work from home because of the virus. Banners are a simple way to add colour to the downtown area and the turnaround time between selecting designs and having them installed is relatively short,” Finn said.
The banner idea came from a committee put together by Fran Perkins, the chairperson for the Arts & Culture Committee who wanted to see the Downtown Art Projects restarted here. (It was an initiative of ARIEL). It’s a carry-over from an earlier beautification project in the city which involved painted murals.
The committee explored several ideas before deciding on murals but efforts to get it underway were delayed by the virus.
Artist Keanna da Silva, 10, submitted a hummingbird design.
“Hummingbirds have been around since the time of dinosaurs and I see them in the summer at my Grandma's cottage," she said.
Finn said artist Cornelia Svela’s three submissions were all chosen featuring a bear, a kayaker representing all the lakes to be explored, and apple blossoms for the crab apple trees that adorn the downtown in the spring season.
“Cornelia’s image of the bear …has been the favourite of everyone who has seen it,” Finn said. “(It) makes everyone smile.”
“The black bear is one of our animal neighbors we share our town and surrounding land with, and you never know when you might run into one,” Svela said. “This is bear country! The red maple leaves represent the distinctive red color of our fall season here in the north.”
The city is the main sponsor for the project which will be installed in early July.