Arts and Culture

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.

For more information, visit Mique Michelle's website. 

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.

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. 

The Ganny Bear is temporarily hibernating.

The Ganny Bear sculpture, standing at 6 feet tall and weighing over 400 lbs., was carved with a chainsaw by Port Hope native Lee Wigmore. It was purchased by Richard Rogalski, owner of the Ganaraska Hotel, where the bear hibernated on display for seven years before being generously gifted to the Municipality of Port Hope in 2017.

The Ganny Bear can be found on the east side of the Barrett Street footbridge, at the Pat Lawson-Jack Goering trailhead – a fitting location that nods to the sculpture’s namesake, and the connection between bears and salmon.

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.

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

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.

Coho Homecoming 

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.