Art wall brings a personal touch to Homewood Avenue parkette
The residents of Brock Street and Homewood Avenue had what they called "a sad little park" at the end of the street. It was rarely used except to cut the corner when walking by.
They wanted to do something about it and were given the means to do so when they won a $21,000 capital improvement grant through the Festival of Neighbourhoods. A unique program in Kitchener, Festival of Neighbourhoods encourages neighbours to get together by holding events and gatherings all year long. As an extra incentive, everyone who registers their event gets entered into an annual draw for the capital improvement grant.
Thankfully, the city already had plans to revitalize the park and, with input from residents and their added grant money, the project went much further than originally planned. Through collaboration with city staff, residents identified unique features for the park, including a natural play area, a picnic table and walkway, a memorial bench to honour the tragic passing of a neighbour—and a beautiful mosaic art installation.
The art installation was led by Meg Leslie, who started making tile mosaics in 2009 using broken plates and other reclaimed materials. She has her own kiln and ran a series of workshops out of her home for the Brock Street residents. Each household was invited to create custom tiles with a drawing of their house. Each tile is unique, showing the intricate details of doorknobs, brickwork and gardens.
The tiles were later installed on a wall in the parkette by the residents. It has become a showpiece art installation for the community, demonstrating the personal connections between residents and their neighbourhood.
What used to be an underused public place is now a welcoming and enjoyable place hang out.
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2 Comments
This is one of my absolute favourite things about my 'hood. It's so cool!
Posted By Darren Kropf | Wednesday, February 14, 2018 | Reply
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this is a great story. Do you know who I can connect with to do something similar in my neighbourhood.
Posted By Helena Foulds | Tuesday, January 9, 2018 | Reply