Art of the City: The Best Outdoor Art In Winnipeg

BY: Ian August
FIND IT:  BLUE bus transitway near Beaumont Station in southwest Winnipeg
BEST VIEWED: Daytime
TAKEAWAY:  A larger-than-life copper tea kettle looms over the new rapid transit line, sparking an Alice in Wonderland-like curiosity. Named after a Métis community that once existed where it stands, Rooster Town Kettle symbolizes Métis hospitality, the strong sense of community and generosity through sharing tea with neighbours.

BY: Bill Pechet & Darren Stebeleski
FIND IT: Millennium Library Park
BEST VIEWED: Day and night
TAKEAWAY: Reaching 10 metres high, a curiously shaped laboratory flask creates a mesmerizing show of water and light in the heart of downtown. Along with its incredibly striking appearance, the artwork represents the idea that Winnipeg is a boundless space, allowing human endeavour, weather, light and seasons to flow through. Adjacent is Sentinel of Truth, a fence filled with words of wisdom from books found inside the library.

BY: Kevin Guenther, Pattern Interactive, Cohlmeyer Architecture & Capitol Steel
FIND IT: Upper Fort Garry
BEST VIEWED: Day and night
TAKEAWAY: Marking the height, depth and location of Upper Fort Garry’s lost west wall, dancing lights illuminating the history of Western Canada can be seen from Main Street. Get closer and walk along the wall to hear the sounds and learn about the history of Métis settlement, the fur trade, and the building of Winnipeg and development of Northern Manitoba during the light show, which runs every 15 minutes.

BY: Collin Zipp
FIND IT: Junction of St. Anne’s at St. Mary’s roads
BEST VIEWED: Day and night
TAKEAWAY: Watershed, the towering and eye-catching canoes standing tall at the St. Anne’s-St. Mary’s transit plaza, reflects St. Vital’s storied history, particularly the great 1950 flood that submerged this junction. Inspired by photographs of canoers carrying people and supplies during the flood, it celebrates the resilience of the community during a devasting time in Winnipeg’s history.

BY: Michael Carroll, Laurie Green & Judith Panson
FIND IT: Exchange District
BEST VIEWED: Daytime
TAKEAWAY: Works by three local artists are hidden in plain sight all over the historic Exchange District. What better way to showcase local arts and culture events than on poster boards designed by local artists? Discover 15 different boards, including a clever “on” light switch, to plaster show announcements, poetry nights and everything in between.

BY: Ai Weiwei
FIND IT: CN Field at The Forks
BEST VIEWED: Daytime
TAKEAWAY: 1,254 stainless-steel bicycles make up this world-renowned Chinese artists spectacular work sitting atop CN Field. Purposefully placed within view of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the bikes—a common means of transportation in China—are locked in place, symbolizing loss of freedom. Dazzling and thought provoking, this massive installation should be at the top of all Winnipegger’s summer bucket lists.

BY: Gordon Reeve
FIND IT: Footbridge from Portage Ave into Assiniboine Park
BEST VIEWED: Daytime
TAKEAWAY: Stroll the pedestrian footbridge from Portage Ave to Assiniboine Park and find a trio of jagged stainless-steel icebergs jutting out from the grass on the bank of the river. Artist Gordon Reeve was inspired by the massive glacial lake that covered most of Manitoba in prehistoric times when creating this polished-metal installation. It’s the only kind of “ice” found year-round in Winnipeg.

BY: Takashi Iwasaki & Nadi Design
FIND IT: Kildonan Park Duck Pond
BEST VIEWED: Day and night
TAKEAWAY: Takashi Iwasaki brings his signature whimsy to Kildonan park with Bokeh, a playful yet functional artwork inspired by the exaggerated shape of mid-century modern Arco Lamps. The bright hanging globes are topped with abstract whirlybird seeds and project rainbow-coloured lights, adding a magical touch to park-goers’ experience.

BY: Bernie Miller
FIND IT: Disraeli Active Transportation Bridge
BEST VIEWED: Night
TAKEAWAY: Look a little closer at the illuminated steel boxes along the Disraeli’s Active Transportation Bridge and see intricate images depicting the bridge’s history since 1959. Artist Bernie Miller developed software to translate photographic images into patterns of holes that distinctly reveal each image when light is shone through the many steel perforations.