Design trends: A new push for public art

National Post

15-07-2025

A thought-provoking new sculpture by British artist Ryan Gander — The Cat, the Clock and the Rock — was unveiled on April 29 in the pedestrian walkway between Toronto's Simcoe and St. Patrick streets, near OCAD University. It's an eye-catching piece, a four-foot stainless-steel clock leaning against a rock modelled after one of the oldest rock samples on Earth, with a life-sized cat curled up in its shadow. But it's the artwork's backstory that reveals a side of Toronto's Percent for Public Art Program that often isn't talked about.
Article content
Article content
The sculpture sits between three new towers in the Artists' Alley condo project. The piece was funded by the condos' developer, Lanterra, a participant in the City of Toronto's voluntary Percent for Public Art Program, a 40-year-old arrangement in which participating developers reserve one percent of a project's gross construction cost to fund a public artwork, either on the site itself or nearby, in exchange for concessions like additional storeys or an increase in building density. In the case of Artists' Alley, both of those were granted in exchange for community benefits that included the sculpture; a 6,000-square-foot community space to be operated by the City; a publicly accessible open space; and a monetary contribution to new affordable housing units in the area, according to a spokesperson in the City's Media Relations department.
Article content
Some artist mentorship is encouraged in the program's guidelines, but these components have generally been limited to interactions between the commissioned artist and a single mentee, often an artist local to the area where a piece will be installed. For example, developer Concord Adex facilitated several one-on-one mentorships at its Concord CityPlace and Concord Park Place communities with local artists, led by their public art consultant. Mentees learned about public art commissioning and delivery through hands-on experience and coaching.
Article content
Article content
'With OCAD right next door, we really wanted to create an opportunity for art students to get involved, to learn from this incredible international artist, and to see first-hand what goes into making a piece of art like this happen,' says Lanterra chairman and co-founder Mark Mandelbaum.
Article content
Lanterra's first installation, in 2007, was a roly-poly bronze sculpture by the controversial American artist Tom Otterness titled Immigrant Family at Yonge Street and Lakeshore Boulevard.
Article content
This time, working closely with OCAD U, Lanterra funded a mentorship bursary and supported the creation of a new minor in public art at the school. In 2022, six upper-year students and alumni were selected to participate in a week-long paid intensive with Gander titled 'A Melted Snowman,' which explored public space and artistic intervention around the OCAD U campus.
Article content
'I still think about the work that I made for that workshop. It informs what I'm doing now,' says Abby Kettner, one of the OCAD U students involved. It culminated in the group creation of a piece — a magic eight ball containing a die with all of the students' works depicted titled Oscillation and Tension Between the Natural and the Conventional — that Gander gifted to OCAD U's permanent collection.