Five Local Artists Reimagine Downtown Peterborough Through The Illustrated Boro Project

The Downtown Business Improvement Area’s (DBIA) Illustrated Boro Project commissions local artists to create illustrations of downtown shops with funding from the federal government’s Tourism Relief Fund.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough DBIA.

Five local artists were selected to create ten illustrations of downtown shops through this initiative. Each Illustrator featured businesses based on their own personal connection to Peterborough’s downtown business district. Viewers are encouraged to look at the city centre through the eyes of the artist.

Art from Jason Wilkins, Samantha Chiusolo, Julii McMillan, Kathryn Durst and Brooklin Holbrough feature prominent downtown businesses such as Mark Jokinen Books, Statement House, Ritual Apothecary, Night Kitchen, Couture Candy, Providence, The Food Shop, Bijoux Bar, Blue Streak Records and Black Honey Café.

The DBIA’s Illustrated Boro project aims to explore downtown Peterborough through an artistic lens while showcasing local talent in the arts community.

“As a newer resident to Peterborough, I felt so honoured to be a part of this wonderful collaboration with the DBIA, the shops and fellow artists. My family and I have had the pleasure to meet wonderful shop owners that help remind us, we are a part of a larger community, with whom we will support and foster new long-lasting relationships,” said Samantha Chiusolo. “Speaking as an artist, this project has helped support my foray into narrative illustration as well as build up a fellowship within the artist’s community.”

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough DBIA.

A public art exhibit at the First Friday Art Crawl on Friday showcased the artists’ work with a group art show in celebration of downtown businesses and shop owners. The art show sales of postcard sets (including all ten artworks), prints and original works have all proceeds going directly to the artists.  

The Illustrated Boro project was funded by the Government of Canada’s Tourism Relief Fund (TRF), through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) to help local tourism organizations and businesses safely welcome back visitors and recover from impacts of the pandemic while preparing for future growth. The DBIA and 36 other regional tourism organizations have received $2.8 million in support for tourism relief in the Peterborough, Kawarthas and Northumberland region.

“With the Illustrated Boro project, we honour the art of illustration with drawings of familiar Downtown Peterborough shops handpicked by five local artists. This is how they see their favourite businesses in The Boro. These talented artists see what others may only catch a glimpse of; whimsy, charm and a generosity of spirit, a few hallmarks of The Boro,” says Sacha Lai-Svirk, DBIA marketing committee chair and board of directors member.

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