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 In 2012, the Municipality of Port Hope created a Cultural Plan. This dense, lengthy document was written to help build and support the facets of our community that contribute to our rich, unique local culture. The Cultural Plan contains identified needs, strategies, and goals that span 20 years - from 2012 to 2032 - and this year marks the halfway point. It's time for a pulse-check!
A community feedback project has been created to help the Municipality tune into our current cultural landscape. We're calling it Collaborating on Culture - Propelling the Plan, and we want to hear what you have to say!
To learn more and get involved, visit our My Port Hope page.
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Public art adds an enormous value to the cultural, aesthetic, and economic vitality of any community. It contributes to our identity, fosters a sense of community pride and belonging, and enhances the quality of life for residents and visitors.
The Municipality of Port Hope implemented a Permanent Public Art Policy in 2013 to guide the placement of permanent public art in areas that are freely accessible to the public and provided the greatest opportunity for interaction, and that the creative concepts are primarily - but not limited to - local artists.
The Salmon Mural
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In September of 2018, Metis mural artist Mique Michelle travelled to the Municipality of Port Hope to participate in Cultivate Festival however arrived a couple days early. With supplies on hand and the perfect canvas on the west wall of the Ganaraska River awaiting, she created a 50-foot wild salmon. The mural, gifted to the Municipality with the intentions to be a temporary piece, was promptly approved as permanent public art, to remain indefinitely in the heart of Port Hope. The salmon mural highlights art and culture activities that take place in our community and reflects the heritage of the salmon migration.
Meet the Maker
Mique Michelle is a Franco-Ontarian from Field, Mique’s nomadic journeys allowed her to exercise her graffiti from northern Ontario to France. Through her travels and studies at the Ottawa School of Art, she has evolved as a mixed media artist and an active facilitator of the arts in Ottawa. Her work can be seen in galleries, public buildings and in outdoor venues. Mique remains a strong advocate for abolishing negative perceptions of graffiti.
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Salmo Salar: The Once and Future Fish
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This participatory art project for Critical Mass Art, "Salmo Salar: The Once and Future Fish," hundreds of fish were created through a series of community and school workshops, to give visual representation to the power of collaboration. School children and the community took part in a multistage process of building colour and pattern on reclaimed sailcloth one layer at a time, exemplifying how small individual contributions can become part of a greater whole, while sparking conversations about sustainability and caring for the environment.
The Salmo Salar installation was suspended over Lent Lane initially, then migrated to its permanent location above the therapy pool at the Port Hope Jack Burger Sports Complex.
Meet the Makers
Critical Mass is a Port Hope-based not-for-profit art organization, led by a volunteer group of curators, artists and art supporters dedicated to bringing contemporary art experiences to the community we live in. For more information on this organization visit the Critical Mass website.
Vivian Wong is a Toronto-based artist, arts educator and workshop facilitator. In her public art practice, she focuses on process and engagement through participatory art, using sustainable and upcycled materials and a mix of found and natural objects. She has animated spaces like Nuit Blanche Toronto, Evergreen Brick Works, and the Gardiner Museum with interactive and ephemeral installations and community art. Vivian's work frequently explores the intersections of contemporary art, urbanism, and nature.
In Vivian's work, familiar and whimsical visual tropes form the basis of accessible, relatable, uplifting art with an emphasis on process and community engagement -- it's art for everyone.
For more information, visit Vivian Wong's Instagram account.
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Rock Garden at Peace Park
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This community project lives in Peace Park along the Cochingomink section of the Ganaraska Trail. Installed in 2018, in partnership with artistic lead Lee Higginson of Fluke Craft, the Rock Garden became permanent public art, an entirely positive project meant to inspire, uplift, and engage the community. All are invited to paint a rock with a positive message or image of love and hope and display it in the Rock Garden.
The Garden is a take one / leave one garden and creations may travel.
Meet the Maker
Fluke Craft was formed in 2017 by Port Hoper Lee Higginson. Visit Lee Higginson's Instagram and Facebook account. The heart and essence of Fluke Craft is to celebrate art, community and connection. Fluke Craft believes that the process of creation is every bit as important as the final product. Art isn't hard... it's everywhere! And, every person has an equal right to enjoy, contribute and participate within it. Using unique, natural and salvaged materials is a core part of Fluke Craft. Anything can become art! Fluke Craft's mission is to make art fun, healing, and joyful.
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Sports Day Mural
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The artist inspiration and motivation for this project is the desire to give back to the community through celebrating art, culture, and sports. The ‘Sports Day’ Mural, completed in 2016, is located on the north wall of the Town Park Recreation Centre. Artist Herb Jung is a great believer in the positive impact of recreation opportunities in Port Hope. His caring nature led him to paint this mural to support children and families, hoping to raise some money on an annual basis that goes toward the subsidy program offered by the Municipality. The sponsorship aligned with this mural help support program registration subsidies in our community.
Meet the Maker
Herb Jung is a Port Hope resident and a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design. Herb has served as an educator in the Sheridan College of Fine Art Department and Toronto Board of Education leading after school art programs for children, youth, and adults.
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Redevelopment Mural
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The Town Park Recreation Centre Redevelopment Mural was created in 2002 to recognize donors that contributed to the redevelopment of the centre. The sports in the mural represent the many ways the centre can be used by the community to engage in sports and recreation. The Town Park Recreation Centre has a large outdoor recreation space and gymnasium that allows for a variety of sports to be played. Each grass blade in the mural represents the generous contributions of the donors. This mural is inside the Town Park Recreation Centre on the east wall just outside the gymnasium.
Meet the Maker
Oliver Studios created this mural in 2002 as a way to recognize the contributions of the community to the fundraising campaign for the re-development of the Town Park and construction of the Town Park Recreation Centre.
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Iron Sculptures on the Ganaraska River
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Social Media Callout! Residents are invited to use the hashtag #porthopeontario when visiting these sculptures.
Two metal sculptures were installed along the Ganaraska River in the summer of 2019. Located near Rotary Park along the Ganaraska River, and at the Fish Ladder at Corbett's Dam. The sculptures are taken down in the winter and set up indoors before being reinstalled in Spring.
Meet the Makers
Rok Capuder created the artwork along the Ganaraska River. Rok is a local Port Hope blacksmith, carpenter, musician, and metal artist, originally from Slovenia.
Marko Lipovsek is a musician, luthier, carpenter, sculptor, and metal artist who created the artwork located at Corbett’s Dam.
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Coho Homecoming
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In June 2022, 'Coho Homecoming' was unveiled at it's permanent home inside the Jack Burger Sports Complex. This incredible rendition, a modern piece of art featuring the Coho Salmon, references the Michi Saagiig people lining one of the waterfalls spilling down over the rocky ledges of the Ganaraska River. Today, fishermen and sightseers still revel at the miraculous annual return of the salmon to this storied river. 'Coho Homecoming' is featured on the cover of the Port Hope Local Experience Guide 2022.
Meet the Maker
Rick Beaver is an artist, wildlife biologist, and member of Alderville First Nation. He has been painting and exhibiting internationally for more than 30 years, working mainly with acrylic and gouache. He fuses his passions for art and science to honour and protect the earth. The inspiration for Rick's artwork continues to be the Rice Lake Area and Alderville. Visit Rick Beaver's webpage.
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Couleurs du Nord Youth Centre Mural
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In collaboration with Critical Mass, a team of French-speaking Port Hope youth artists participated in an episode of Couleurs du Nord, a TFO Media Group kids docu-series that celebrates the beauty and identities of the North through conversation, collaboration, and colour. Host and muralist, Mique Michelle, spent time with the youth involved to learn what living in Port Hope is like and applying those concepts to a new piece of public art that is reflective of the community. The mural was unveiled on October 27, 2022 in the Youth Centre at the Town Park Recreation Centre.
Meet the Maker
Mique Michelle is a Franco-Ontarian from Field, Mique’s nomadic journeys allowed her to exercise her graffiti from northern Ontario to France. Through her travels and studies at the Ottawa School of Art, she has evolved as a mixed media artist and an active facilitator of the arts in Ottawa. Her work can be seen in galleries, public buildings and in outdoor venues. Mique remains a strong advocate for abolishing negative perceptions of graffiti.
For more information, visit Mique Michelle's website.
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Spring Registration Details
