BIA selects banner designs
Wednesday, 18 January 2012 – 1:36pm
By Duane Hicks, Staff writer
The local Business Improvement Association is moving ahead with a project to have 36 new banners made and put up on posts in the downtown area this spring. BIA chair Connie Cuthbertson said the board met yesterday morning, reviewed banner images designed by local artist Lindsay Hamilton, and selected at least 15 images which now will be used for the metal banners. “Instead of replacing flags every year, which is just costly and not quite the impact we’re looking for, we’ve been working with her [Hamilton] on ideas for drawings of different things that represent the area,” noted Cuthbertson.
“She’s just come up with some fabulous ideas and designs, and she should have all the stuff done by the end of March and in place hopefully the first nice day in the spring,” Cuthbertson added. “So, wherever there were banners downtown, there will now be metal art banners.”
Cuthbertson said the selected images are “things that are indicative of here, bring a smile to someone’s face, or just make them ponder.
“Since the community of Fort Frances is so proud of its natural surrounding and wildlife, it was easy to find subject matter to draw from,” explained Hamilton. “Also, being at my studio at Little Beaver every day, I get the honour of sharing space with many different animals from the wild,” she added. “Daily I see fox, magpies, eagles, ravens, deer, bear, etc. I thought I could celebrate the blessing presence of these animals in our shared environment by making them subject matter in public art,” she reasoned.
“I also included some pesky wildlife, such as mosquitoes, skunks, and a family of raccoon, because we also share space with them,” Hamilton noted. “And, of course, they inhabit the land and trees, and water, which needed representation, as well.”
She added the images for the banners “are simply designed, meant to be legible, and easily translated.”
“They are inoffensive and accessible,” Hamilton stressed.
Cuthbertson is hoping to have even more intricate designs by Hamilton made into banners posted at the downtown intersections (i.e., Mowat Avenue and Scott Street, Portage and Scott, and Victoria and Scott), and will be checking with the town to see if it’s possible to have these affixed to traffic light standards at those locations.
Hamilton said the metal banners will be made at Fort Frances High School with some help from students.
“The banners will be, in essence, silhouettes of the animals and plant life,” she explained. “They will be cut from sheet metal into long strips of 47.5 inches by 22.5 inches.
“The CNC plasma machine at the high school is the closest machine in the area which could fabricate metal banners of this size,” she noted. “We wanted this to be a local project, so we approached the metal shop at the high school for their support and participation,” Hamilton said. “It was the best option over out-sourcing fabrication to out-of-town,” she stressed.
“A donation will be made to the shop for their help and support.”
As of now, Hamilton is not too sure how the students will be involved (this will be up to their teacher. But it likely will have something to do with operating the CNC machine. “It’s nice that we’re getting the students involved in a project that they can take pride in being part of,” said Cuthbertson.
The metal banners will not be painted, said Hamilton. “I will be putting a simple patina on the metal instead of painting it a flat colour. . . . This will allow for the natural integrity of the metal to be intact, and give a organic natural finish to complement the subject matter. “I want to keep the finish a surprise,” she enthused. “I can’t give everything away!”
“[Hamilton’s] quite the dynamo, I’ve got to say,” remarked Cuthbertson. “She’s got some great ideas, and we’re extremely pleased to be working with her on this project.”
In related news, the BIA also is getting Hamilton to repair the two existing murals on the sides of the CIBC and Masonic Lodge here this summer. Looking further down the road, it’s possible the BIA will commission a new mural, depending on what spaces become available in the downtown area.