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
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.
Stage 2
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
- Unsettled Ground
- West #1 Stations: Westboro, Dominion, Cleary, New Orchard, and Lincoln Field
- Christian Moëller and Rob Ley
- West #2 Stations: Moodie, Bayshore, Pinecrest, Queensview, Iris, and Baseline
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
Reflection 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)
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.