Art Attack – All but one of Oshawa’s 15 downtown murals to be removed by 2029

Almost all of the 15 murals scattered around downtown Oshawa will be gone from the public eye in five years if a staff recommendation on public art is approved by Council.

The report, put together by STEPS Public Art, a charitable organization known for its expertise in creating public art installations and developing art strategies, is calling for 14 of the 15 downtown murals created in the 1990s and early 2000s to be ‘deaccessioned’ and removed by 2029.

Only the ‘Ontario Regiment – 130 Years of Service’ mural at Memorial Park – identified as an important component of the McLaughlin Bandshell, which has been given a heritage designation – will be maintained and preserved.

City staff sought quotes for preserving the murals, with high-level estimates ranging from $4,200 to $22,000 to remove and dispose of an existing mural and $11,000 to $45,000 to create new art. (The cost to address each mural depends on the size and type of wall, the damage to the existing wall, if the mural is at ground level or not, and if a new mural is being added to the same location.)

All the murals, the report stated, are in varying stages of deterioration and damage and continued restoration of them is “no longer practical.”

Two murals located on city property – the ‘Victorian Order of Nurses 100th Anniversary’ at 47 Bond St. W. and the ‘Camp X’ mural at 100 Simcoe Street – are recommended as sites for new artwork.

If the report and staff recommendation is approved the murals will be discarded in three phases, with planning and consultation happening next year and two or three murals taken down in 2026. The rest of the work would be completed between 2026 and 2029.

The next steps of the deaccession process includes allocating resources to create new artwork that reflects contemporary Oshawa. One such mural recently unveiled is a striking seven-floor mural – ‘Turning the Wheel’ – at the McMillan Parkade by acclaimed local artist Dani Crosby that commemorates an historic mill that once stood on the site.

‘Turning the Wheel’ by Dani Crosby

Crosby’s project aligns with Oshawa’s Public Art Master Plan, which aims to create vibrant public spaces and meaningful connections within the community. The mural, a statement from the city declared, not only honours Oshawa’s past but also reflects the city’s ongoing commitment to “celebrating its cultural heritage through innovative public art.”

Oshawa has been looking into the future of the downtown murals since 2017 when it convened a Public Art Committee to advise on new art projects and priorities and help with decision-making on accepting and deaccessioning public artworks.

“Oshawa will be a community where Public Art is innovative, diverse, and accessible to create vibrant public spaces and meaningful connections,” the committee declared as a mission statement.

The Public Art Master Plan, which came out of those discussions, was approved in 2018. STEPS was hired by the city in 2023.

Below are seven of 14 murals slated for removal:

Full Steam Ahead, Gus Froese, 1995

Windfields Farm – David Yeatman, 1996

Borsberry Music Hall – Brian Romagoli, 1997

Oshawa’s Development – Robin Burgesse 1996

Famous Oshawa Generals – Paul Ygarta 1997

Skae’s Corners – O’Neill Collegiate and Paul Dwyer High School students JR Hunter, Erin Hackney, Ian Mitchell, Mike Wystoski, 1999

Camp X – Tony Johnson 2001

Nine of the 15 of murals are located on private property and six are on public lands. The city owns the artwork and is responsible for the cost of repair, insurance, and removal of the murals. Agreements with private property owners and artists executed during the commission period have also all lapsed.

“Many public art programs consider murals temporary, with a lifetime of approximately 10 to 20 years,” STEPS said in the report. “This can be challenging for residents to comprehend. Murals are more vulnerable to weather damage, infrastructure changes or evolution in urban planning then other forms of public art since they often cannot be relocated or easily removed. In many cases, the murals in Oshawa’s downtown are nearing the end of their life expectancies.”

The report also nots that conservation and preservation for the murals cannot be applied in a ‘one size fits all’ approach. “With appropriate funds the city can facilitate varied conservations methods with some of the murals. However, some may need to be removed and disposed of entirely due to their advanced state of deterioration and/or the property owner’s desire for it to be removed.”

A mural on Ontario Street depicting Oshawa’s harbour a century ago was removed in 2022 at the request of the property owner, who said the artwork was covering an exterior window in the building, causing issues in renting the space as well as with planned future investments to enhance the building’s exterior.

‘On the Lake (The Argyle)’ was created in 1995 by Welland artist Ross Beard, who depicted the harbour around 1910 and the Argyle steamship, which ran regular routes between Whitby and Oshawa and Kingston beginning in 1907.

STEPS, in collaboration with city staff, made their intentions known to residents through a feedback form (which received 188 responses), an e-newsletter , a roundtable with local artists and ongoing social messaging, as well as a community pop-up at Delpark Homes Centre in July of 2023.

To continue to build appreciation for public artworks staff will research and determine feasibility of other mural related community programming, such as a ‘Wall Festival’ to celebrate the unveiling of the new murals.

The report will before the Economic Development Services and Planning Committee Monday afternoon.