Trail Blazers: Burlington's Sculpture Trail Carves Space for Public Reflection

Hamilton Spectator

25-05-2025

Have you noticed striking sculptures winding their way along the shores of Lake Ontario and up Brant Street this spring? If so, you've encountered the Burlington Waterfront Sculpture Trail, now an annual tradition returning for its fourth year.
The Burlington Waterfront Sculpture Trail (BWST) is a unique outdoor art-viewing opportunity is the work of the Dan Lawrie International Sculpture Collection, facilitated by Cobalt Connects, with funding from the Government of Canada's Tourism Relief Fund.
Artists from Burlington and across the country exhibit their work to introduce the Burlington community to art and sculptural pieces outside of a traditional gallery setting.
Steff Bishop is an associate producer of Cobalt Connects, a non-profit social enterprise that is responsible for taking on various artistic projects, ranging from public art programs like BWST to events like Hamilton's Winterfest, cultural policies and plans for municipalities, and more. In the interview below, Bishop answers questions about their experience of facilitating BWST. Answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
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What have been the most challenging aspects of the exhibition? One of the things that we've found most challenging is that Mother Nature has not been our friend when it came to our scheduled free tours that we were doing. Every other Tuesday, since the opening of the tour, we have had guided tours scheduled. The artists create their works with the understanding that it's going to be exposed to the elements, and so we do give them the option of having it covered with plexiglass, or if it's able to be exposed to the weather, then that's up to the artist to make happen.
What does the process of selecting an artist lineup look like? We put out a public call, and we also share that with some different sculpture galleries and things like that. Then, when the applications all come in, there's a jury process. A few of us get together and review the submissions and decide on which ones we think would be a suitable fit. Then there's also an approval process from the municipality to make sure that there are no safety concerns or things like that.
If there are any gaps in the submissions, if [for example] we find that there aren't enough submissions from local artists, we do broaden the call. We try to make sure that we have a variety of artists from different locations and different demographic backgrounds. There are certain qualifying questions we ask in the application process for the artists to indicate if they self-identify as a youth, as a senior, as part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, as disabled, francophone, Indigenous, etc. Those are some of the self-identifiers that we ask about; we consider those [self-identified characteristics] to make sure we have a broad mix of different identities.
What has the public reaction been so far? This year it's been fantastic. Even to the point that when our team was there installing the pieces at the beginning of April, people who walk through Spencer Smith Park quite regularly were commenting about how they're glad that the art is coming back again: 'It's time for the art again!' Which is a bit of a change from a couple of years earlier when we would get comments like, 'Oh, what a waste of taxpayer money,' and things like that.
We try to let the public know, whenever we hear feedback like that, that it is not taxpayer money at all. It is privately funded through private sources and from sponsors, grants, and things like that. None of it comes from, none of it is taxpayer money.
As co-leader at Cobalt Connects, what are the goals that you've brought to the organization and to this year's BWST? We work hard to ensure that with the art, we cover a broad spectrum of identities. That is something that we've always mandated and worked to incorporate into any of the projects that we work on, not just the Sculpture Trail, because we recognize that the community, our local community, is diverse. We have incredible talents that should be highlighted from all backgrounds. It helps create our local identity. With the Sculpture Trail and with any of the other projects Cobalt Connects takes on, we make sure that is a key factor in what we do.
Do you think the BWST is a way to break down traditional gallery settings? Exactly, yes! Adding on to what I said previously, the other thing that we do is try to ensure that art of all kinds is accessible to people — not just physically accessible, but also financially, emotionally, and intellectually. A lot of people can be put off by the stuffy perception that we have of art galleries and so by putting it out in a park where people just naturally are, it allows the general public to gain that art appreciation and then perhaps venture to an art gallery to see what else takes their interest.
In your completely non-biased opinion, what is your favourite piece on this trail? I was trying to figure that out the other day. There is one artist from the U.S. who is exhibiting his piece, Boris Kramer, and his piece is in front of Village Square. It's a large metal sculpture called 'Structure and Balance,' and it's got a highly polished metal, a bit of a twist, and then a straighter piece…you get a cool reflection, the light bounces off it in a really neat way. It is a balance of that high polish beauty and hard metal, and this movement that can happen with a piece that looks so stationary. But I hate to say that one of my favourite pieces is from an American.
I could tell you something that I love about every piece that is part of this exhibit. Just some of the thoughts and the background that goes into the pieces…Bastian Martel, his piece is also fantastic. It's called 'Lassitude.' It's a metal sculpture of a bust and a bowler hat. One of the things that Bastian has said about that is that the bowler hat has historically been a symbol of the working class and the upper class. It broke class barriers at the height of its popularity. I think that gives you a bit of pause when you look at the piece and try and determine whether this is a hat belonging to someone in the working class or someone in the upper class. It's difficult to tell. I like the contemplation that the piece provides.
Is there anything to say to people who want more after this exhibit? Well, come back next year! There is the Burlington Waterfront Sculpture Trail website, which is updated every year. A lot of the pieces are on loan from the Art Gallery of Burlington. We're so lucky to have one of Canada's top ceramic galleries right here. They always have incredible pieces and wonderful exhibits throughout the year to check out. Then some of the pieces are also on loan from Eno Gallery. That's another place that people can visit to see more public sculpture art.
The exhibit will continue until June 1. I,t is free to visit and is located along Spencer Smith Park, Lakeshore Rd., and Locust and Brant streets. For more information and for the digital guide, visit the
BWST website
.