Lakeview Community Partners Limited (“LCPL”) today unveiled the highly anticipated outdoor artist installation at the Lakeview Village site. The completed works were created by a group of 19 talented GTA artists through a unique artist-developer collaboration to animate the project site during the construction process of the future Lakeview Village Discovery Centre – launching in 2021. The LCPL team is excited to welcome the community and visitors to come enjoy the art of placemaking through this stunning and immersive experience at Mississauga’s waterfront. The artistic works can now be seen from the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and Trans Canada Trail for the public’s viewing and enjoyment, while adhering to the advice of local health authorities and safe physical distancing practices. 

In April, LCPL, in collaboration with Artscape through its Artscape Atelier program, announced a Call for Artists for over $100,000 in paid work opportunities, providing economic support to the arts and culture sector during a difficult time. The selected artists were announced in June, with work commencing immediately in a safe, socially distanced manner. The completed pieces encompass over 1,600 linear feet of artistic works and feature artists including sculptor, Ryan Longo; visual artist, Raquel Da Silva; painter, Lynn Taylor; poet, Duke Redbird; visual artist, Daniela Rocha (artist alias Planta Muisca); and 14 muralists, including several artists from Mississauga.

As well, LCPL has planted over one million sunflowers at the site for the second year in a row. The sunflowers are set to reach peak bloom alongside the art pieces later this summer, further augmenting the site’s beauty and experience for the community and visitors.

“We are extremely excited to unveil these unique art installations and to welcome back the community to experience the stunning work of local artists,” said Brian Sutherland, Director of Development, Argo Development Corporation, and development lead for Lakeview Village. “The integration of arts and culture is an important component of our current and future vision for Lakeview Village. We are seeking to create a vibrant and highly livable community and unparalleled all-season destination on Mississauga’s waterfront.”

The installations include the Sunflower Lane Murals with A Message, created by 14 diverse artists. The murals were created over the course of four weeks in June and July and share the message the artists “believe the world needs to hear right now”. 

Raquel Da Silva has transformedconstruction hoarding on the sitewith her abstracted flipbook concept entitled “Follow the Eagle”, which explores humanity’s connection to water and the theme of reconnecting with the surrounding nature, specifically that which is native to the Mississauga community.

Canadian-Colombian artist Daniela Rocha (Planta Muisca) has painted a nature-inspired mural called “Let Nature Guide You” that will feature vegetation and animals native to the Mississauga region, including a fox as a totem, guiding us to use our wisdom and intuition during uncertain times.

Also incorporated into the construction hoarding design, Mississauga-based Lynn Taylor has created a visual Land Acknowledgement that honours the Indigenous people who have inhabited and cared for this land for thousands of years. The nations represented in this land acknowledgement are the Anishinabek, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, Ojibway/Chippewa, Métis and The Mississaugas of The Credit.

Poet, Duke Redbird, has developed a poetic narrative that portrays Indigenous life along the waterfront and explains how stewards of the treaty area, called “A Dish With One Spoon”, used verbs influenced by Mother Nature to name what are now cities in Tkaronto.

Artist Ryan Longo is creating an Interactive Sculpture named “The Light Within” that will be installed in the near future at the top of the soon-to-be sunflower field. The sculpture is designed to twist towards the sky and fill in the blank spaces of everyday life with wonder and the possibility of a new future.

“Artscape believes that living in a community where arts and culture is embedded in the everyday environment adds to quality of life and promotes greater pride of place and connectivity among residents. With the site now fully animated by the works of these nineteen multidisciplinary artists, local residents can tour Lakeview Village and see how artists are bringing to life the unique local character, narratives and heritage of the Mississauga site,” said Assaf Weisz, Chief Strategy Officer and Director, Creative Placemaking Lab at Artscape.

“I am deeply impressed by the work of our local artists who have produced incredible pieces that honour Mississauga’s waterfront, while creating a safe and enlightening experience outdoors. This creative use of a development site, while providing employment opportunities for artists, is inspiring,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “I am excited by the tremendous potential and what the future holds at this site. This transformation of Mississauga’s waterfront will create highly livable, walkable and connected communities that drive quality of life, employment, tourism, and economic growth, attracting the best and brightest to our city.”

Lakeview Village will be Canada’s most transformative mixed-use waterfront community, bringing new life to Mississauga and connecting residents to this portion of Lake Ontario for the first time in decades. The development of this new community will be a catalyst for economic investment and growth in the region. The 177-acre project will combine diverse high-quality housing options for all lifestyles and life stages, with office space, retail and restaurants as well as trails, parks, green space, along with cultural and recreational amenities – all connected to transit and the nearby 64-acre Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area – creating an unparalleled experience for community members and visitors alike.

The artistic works are located at 800 Hydro Road in Mississauga. LCPL looks forward to welcoming community members and visitors to the Lakeview Village site to celebrate and experience the art of placemaking throughout the summer in a safe manner as COVID-19 health and social distancing measures permit and while maintaining a minimum six foot distance from other visitors. 

Learn more about the art installations at Lakeview Village site here