Painted Paddle Art Exhibit Returns To Downtown Windows

The Downtown Business Improvement Area will be celebrating local art and our connection with the waterways here in the Nogojiwanong/Peterborough area with the second annual Painted Paddle outdoor public art exhibit in March

Photo courtesy of Peterborough DBIA.

The Painted Paddle self-guided outdoor exhibit will include a series of 33 paddle art installations in Peterborough’s central entertainment and shopping district. During the month of March, locals will be able to tour the paddle art exhibits by visiting a number of storefront windows scattered throughout the downtown, as part of an art crawl experience.

“We are so thrilled for the return of the Painted Paddle outdoor art exhibit. This is the kind of positive intervention that livens our downtown shop windows during what many consider a more dreary month in the Canadian calendar,” said Terry Guiel, Executive Director of the Peterborough DBIA. “With the world opening back up, people are eager to get out and explore again and the Painted Paddle is slated to capture that enthusiasm for adventure while highlighting the incredible wealth of artistic talent we have right here in Peterborough.”

Local businesses providing window space for the paddle art installations include: The Boardwalk Game Lounge, Cork and Bean, Watson and Lou, Cottage Toys, GreenUP Store, Pammett’s Flowers, The Earth Food Shop, Fork It and many more.

Each paddle will be as unique as the artist, showcasing the many talented visual artists we have in the area. Paddle artists and organizations contributing art for the Painted Paddle include: Trent Gzowski College, Princess Gardens Retirement Residence, Empress Gardens Retirement Residence, Beth LeBlonc, Jason Wilkins, Miguel Hernandez Autorino, Rachel Dyck, Kate Irwin, Brianna Gosselin, and many more.

“I am so excited to take part in this project to support our city and the power that art can bring, especially when different artist come together,” said Cree artist Nuin-Tara ᓄᐃᓐᑕᕋ. “This piece is significant to me because it tells a story I have learned along my journey of connecting with my Cree culture. I think it’s important for connections to be made, and art is one way to bring people of all cultures together.”

The Painted Paddle exhibit will be on display until March 30. Exhibition paddles will be available for auction from March 11 at 8 p.m. – March 25 at 8 p.m. ahead of the First Friday event on April 1. All proceeds raised through the online auction will support the Downtown Green Team, a DBIA partnership with the One City Employment Program to create a downtown horticultural crew and create two seasonal positions for people who are experiencing barriers to traditional employment. For the virtual auction visit https://www.32auctions.com/boropaintedpaddles.

To participate in a self-guided tour of the Painted Paddle, community members can access a full map of paddle exhibit locations by visiting the Love For The Boro website online at https://linktr.ee/LoveForTheBoro.

For more information on the Painted Paddle project contact the DBIA Placemaking Project Manager, Dawn Pond by email at dawn@ptbodbia.ca.

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