Public washroom structures at two South Surrey parks have been chosen as designated locations for artwork to beautify the space.
Edgewood and Latimer parks are the next two on the list to receive some colourful flair, Surrey council decided on Monday night (Feb. 12).
New washroom facilities have been constructed at both sites, now to be completed with artwork by B.C. residents.
Edward Fu-Chen Juan is the artist chosen for Edgewood, with two teal-coloured options. Juan was ultimately the one chosen from a batch of 50 different artists, while Anja Novkovic’s painting in pink has been chosen for Latimer Park, out of 48 different designs.
Both Juan and Novkovic were chosen through a call-out for artists, which then proceeded through a selection process, states a corporate report from the City of Surrey.
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A Croatian-Canadian based in the Greater Vancouver region, Novkovic focuses her work — comprised of illustrations and sculptures — on how natural and built places interact and connect with the human species. Her chosen design is inspired by the red huckleberry, which is one of the oldest natural berries native to Surrey.
The specific call for Latimer was for a design showing the “revitalizing power of nature.”
With originating roots from the Hakka and the Plains First Nation People of Taiwan, Juan uses plant-based materials in his artwork. His two designs to be implemented at Edgewood are inspired by the Indigenous vegetation that is found in the Semiahmoo Peninsula.
“Represented on the gate panel are four native plants that continue to thrive in the South Surrey environment: Creeping Dogwood, Goatsbeard, Pacific Goldenrod, and Pacific Aster,” the corporate report reads.
The Latimer project is estimated to cost $17,000 while Edgewood is estimated at $25,000.
Funding for both projects will be drawn from 1.25 per cent of civic monies, for each, from the expansion of the washroom facility and augmented by the South Surrey reserve funding for public art.
Both projects were passed unanimously by council on Monday.
“(I’m) looking forward to more upgrades in all of our parks,” said Coun. Pardeep Kooner.