O-Train Public Art Program

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About the O-Train Public Art Program

The O-Train Public Art Program offers a platform for artists’ teams to create public art that will position Ottawa as a leading city for innovative and engaging contemporary art in light rail projects. This Program will inspire and create dialogue about the role of art in our city, and enhance the transit experience across Ottawa.

The O-Train Public Art Program is made possible due to the City of Ottawa’s Public Art Policy which designates 1% of capital project budgets for public art.

Stage 1: Confederation Line

In January 2010, Ottawa City Council approved the functional design for the Confederation Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) in Ottawa, Ontario. The O-Train Stage 1 Public Art Program launched in July 2012 along with a call for Algonquin artists in November 2012. Open competitions resulted in twelve artists/artist teams to work as members of the project design team to create integrated artworks at each station.

The O-Train Stage 1 Public Art Program released another call to artists for non-integrated artwork in June 2014 and resulted in the commission of seven permanent, stand-alone artworks at six themed stations. The six themed stations are located in Ottawa’s downtown core (Bayview, Pimisi, Lyon, Rideau, Parliament and uOttawa). There are two distinct commissions for uOttawa station, and the Algonquin-themed Pimisi Station remained exclusive for artwork designed by Algonquin artists along with requirements to collaborate closely with nearby Algonquin Anishinaabe communities.

Introducing the O-Train Stage 1 public art

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Ride the train and explore artwork by 24 artists at 13 stations:

Tunney’s Pasture: artwork by Derek Root

Bayview: artworks by Adrian Göllner and Pierre Poussin

Pimisi: artworks by Nadia Myre, Simon Brascoupé with Emily Brascoupé-Hoefler, Sherry-Ann Rodgers, Doreen Stevens, Sylvia Tennisco, featuring 101 hand painted paddles by Algonquin Anishinabe artisans

Lyon: artworks by Geoff McFetridge and PLANT

Parliament: artworks by Douglas Coupland and Jennifer Stead

Rideau: artworks by Geneviève Cadieux and Jim Verburg

uOttawa: artworks by Derek Besant and Kenneth Emig

Lees: artwork by Amy Thompson

Hurdman: artwork by Jill Anholt

Tremblay: artwork by Jyhling Lee

St-Laurent: Title: I Gave It Everything I Had

Cyrville: artwork by Don Maynard

Blair: artwork by cj fleury and Catherine Widgery

The City of Ottawa Public Art Program commissions site-specific art through a one percent funding allocation from new municipal development projects. As part of this Program, the O-Train Public Art Program launched in 2012 with a series of calls to artists, including separate opportunities for Algonquin Anishinabe artists for Pimisi Station. Twenty-four artists were peer-selected to create artwork for 13 stations along 12.5 km.

More information about the O-Train Confederation Line

Introducing Corridor 45|75

Corridor 45|75
Rideau Station, O-Train Confederation Line LRT, West Concourse – Level 2 (accessible through the Rideau and Sussex entrance)
Open daily. Free admission to the exhibition space. Wheelchair accessible.
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Corridor exhibit space logo

Stage 2: Confederation Line and Trillium Line Extensions

 logo de l'étape 2 avec blanc et rouge

About

Stage 2 will add 44 kilometres of rail and 24 new stations, extending light rail farther south to Limebank Road with a spur to the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, east to Trim Road, and west to Baseline Road and Moodie Drive.

Public Art Projects

The O-Train Stage 2 Public Art Program is providing a public canvas to artists across the world.

New Artists Teams Selected

For the O-Train Stage 2 Public Art Program opportunities

Building on the success of the Stage 1 Art Commission project the City of Ottawa Public Art Program, OC Transpo and the Rail Construction Program are thrilled to announce the successful artist chosen to create new art for the Stage 2 light rail line.

This time Ottawa opened the city to artists teams from across the world to submit their qualifications. The result is five winning teams will realize their ideas for public art in station sites and surrounding areas along the Stage 2 LRT alignment. The artist teams for all public art project opportunities were selected through a peer selected adjudication process.

Confederation Line Extension
Each artist team will work as members of the Station Design Teams to influence the design and/or landscape architecture of each of the stations within their station cluster through integrated and stand-alone works of art.

Artist Teams Selected:

James Carpenter Design Associates

  • East stations: Montreal, Jeanne d’Arc, Place d’Orléans, Trim, and Promenade d’Orléans
image of artist in plaid shirt

Unsettled Ground (Adrian Göllner, Pierre Poussin, Jyhling Lee and Michael Belmore)

  • West #1 stations: Westboro, Dominion, Cleary, New Orchard, and Lincoln Field
four images of four artists, each looking at the camera

Christian Moëller and Rob Ley 

  • West #2 stations: Moodie, Bayshore, Pinecrest, Queensview, Iris, and Baseline
images of two artists, both wearing glasses

Trillium Line Extension
The artist team selected for the Trillium Line Extension public art project will design, fabricate and install digital media public art within three stations along the line.

Artist Team Selected:

Jason Bruges Studio

  • Stations: South Keys, Gladstone, and Limebank
black and white image of artist

Reflection/Inflection Arts Response Project
The O-Train Reflection/Inflection Arts Response Project will take a global approach to build community connections, and resilience and foster wellbeing. The Project will reflect the racial, cultural, gender, artistic, and geographic diversity of the Byron-Richmond community, and its stories and perspectives.

Artist Team Selected:

Third Way Creative (Randy Engstrom, Elishiba Johnson, and Kristen Ramirez)

  • Site area: The selected community for this Project is the Kitchissippi/Bay wards of Ottawa as part of the Byron Linear Park Complete Streets Project.
3 images of three artists

The O-Train Public Art Program offers a platform for artists’ teams to create public art that will position Ottawa as a leading city of innovative and engaging contemporary art in light rail projects. Our goal is to create a cohesive narrative between and along the transit lines, regions and geography of the city and enhance the transit rider experience.

The O-Train Public Art Program is made possible due to the City of Ottawa’s Public Art Policy which designates 1% of capital project budgets for public art.

Reflection/Inflection Arts Response Project

The O-Train Reflection - Inflection Arts Response Project will take a global approach to build community connections, and resilience and foster wellbeing. The Project will reflect the racial, cultural, gender, artistic, and geographic diversity of the Byron-Richmond (Kitchissippi and Bay Wards with a focus on the Byron Linear Park and Richmond Road) community, and its stories and perspectives.

Ottawa, we are listening

Third Way Creative is using a range of community engagement strategies for the City of Ottawa Public Art Program’s Reflection - Inflection Arts Response Project. Using arts-based strategies for deep listening which include monthly Zoom cultural exchanges, ongoing interviews with individuals and groups, focus groups with targeted outreach to youth, indigenous, and French-speaking, and a digital survey. In addition to this framework for listening, the artist team is producing a series of events, summits, and opportunities about the future of culture in Ottawa.

Artist team selected: Third Way Creative (Randy Engstrom, Elisheba Johnson, and Kristen Ramirez)

3 images of three artists

Stay up to date on all events and opportunities for participation. All events will be free to attend and all are welcome.

Learning Series

The Public Art Learning Series is presented by the City of Ottawa Public Art Program’s O-Train Public Art Program to provide artists and arts professionals with the knowledge to bring ideas from the studio into the field of public art. Sessions 2 and 3 are presented with contributions by the Ottawa Art Gallery. The first session was held in November 2018.

The Public Art Learning Series is made possible by the O-Train Stage 2 Public Art Program funding.

Stay up to date on all events and opportunities for participation. All events will be free to attend and all are welcome.