We are all Connected
Saskatoon, SK
Set to launch in 2026, the City of Saskatoon’s new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System will feature public art at various locations along the routes. The City of Saskatoon joins cities in Canada and around the world to feature public art in and along transit routes. Transit is critical for a functional, equitable city, and transit art programs can have a positive and transformative impact.
LeuWebb Projects joined the BRT Design Team in summer 2021, selected by the City of Saskatoon to develop a strategic and collaborative approach to the public art project. The first part of this effort involved community engagement to address the ideas of theme, place, and movement. First engaging with Communities of Saskatoon and then with community groups from a wide variety of sectors, LeuWebb developed several key art-related aspects for the project, including: thematic interests and meanings; potential locations of artworks; opportunities for integration with the new transit infrastructure; future collaborative and participatory art partnerships; community-led ideas; scale, media, and material interests.
Through the theme of Connected, the public art strategy identifies opportunities to establish conceptual and literal connections through the creation of art in the public realm that is responsive to place and reflective of the city’s many cultures. This strategy uses a networked approach to distribute artwork throughout the BRT system, extending the presence of art to a broad range of neighbourhoods, and allowing for localized participation and collaborative engagement opportunities with many different communities across Saskatoon.
The city’s deep Indigenous history and important continued contributions of First Nations and Métis peoples provide a fundamental reference to connect the many layers of the city’s tapestry, from recently arrived newcomers, through the many languages spoken, to our shared histories, and our newly learned stories.
Past this first phase, the intention is that subsequent public art projects will be realized as the second implementation phase of the BRT Public Art Plan with specific, project-based community engagement. The flexible approach of the implementation phase invites participation from a diversity of artists representing a variety of creative practices and lived experiences.
The expansive BRT network has the potential to create a more equitable public space and a more sustainable city. Including art on the BRT network has the capacity to bring a creative presence to areas of the city that may be currently underserved and allows for expression by under-represented communities. The transit infrastructure will also serve culturally as it reaches throughout Saskatoon.
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Location
Saskatoon, SK
Client
City of Saskatoon
Status
Completion 2023 (Phase 1)
Project Type
Community Consultation, Public Art Strategy, Urban Design
Role Lead
Artist
Collaborators
City of Saskatoon Bus Rapid Transit Art Team
Visualization
LeuWebb Projects
Saskatoon, SK
Client
City of Saskatoon
Status
Completion 2023 (Phase 1)
Project Type
Community Consultation, Public Art Strategy, Urban Design
Role Lead
Artist
Collaborators
City of Saskatoon Bus Rapid Transit Art Team
Visualization
LeuWebb Projects