City of Windsor Launches Strengthen The Core Initiatives For Pelissier Street Parking Garage Enhancements

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Parking level theming in partnership with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, along with a public call for artists to create two new murals

The City of Windsor is inviting Windsor artists to participate in creating two new public art installations in the Pelissier Street Parking Garage in downtown Windsor.

On Saturday evening, Mayor Drew Dilkens and Ward 3 Councillor Renaldo Agostino announced the public call for artists at a special “Classical in the Concrete” concert by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra (WSO), performed on the main level of the prominent parking garage downtown as part of the weekend’s “Fall in Love With Downtown Windsor” events.

Park in Perfect Harmony

As part of the announcement, the Mayor and WSO Maestro Robert Franz also unveiled plans for the “Park in Perfect Harmony” initiative. Planned for a spring 2025 rollout, the project will see all four floors of the garage named to honour composers Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Theming on each floor will include an audio musical component featuring the WSO musicians performing segments of popular classics from the composers’ bodies of work.

Public Call for Mural Artists

For the simultaneous public art component, the City of Windsor is seeking to commission one or more artists, or artist-led teams, specializing in mural design and painting, to create two permanent new murals that will be integrated into the main level interior space of the Pelissier Street parking garage. The commissioned artist(s) will be expected to complete the murals by May of 2025.

The murals must focus on one or more of the themes identified in the Public Call to Artists – Pelissier Street Parking Garage Murals Project (available October 1, 2024, on the City’s website), which is open to artists residing within the city of Windsor, Ontario. The works must be completed using exterior primer and paint formulated for use on concrete or masonry and must include an anti-graffiti clear coat upon completion.

The two wall spaces available for the murals include the following:

Northeast Main Walls: 60.7 feet long by 14 feet high; surface area approximately 849 square feet.
Southeast Main Walls: 117.3 feet long by 11 to 17 feet high; surface area approximately 1466 square feet.

Interested artists have from October 1 to November 1, 2024, to complete their applications.

The submission form will be available at www.CityWindsor.ca on October 1, 2024.

The full budget for the project is $55,000:

$20,000, plus HST, is available for the Northeast Main Walls mural.
$35,000, plus HST, is available for the Southeast Main Walls mural.

Both the parking level naming and theming initiative as well as the new main level murals are intended to help beautify the parking garage that is frequently used by residents and visitors attending events, including WSO concerts and the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) at the nearby City-owned historic Capitol Theatre. The projects will also complement existing creative works and installations in the adjacent Art Alley, which was created in partnership between the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association, the City, and artists. That space includes graffiti murals, Indigenous art, lampshade art, light installations, and sculptures; and forms the backdrop for ongoing downtown events, including the Downtown Windsor Farmers’ Market.

The murals will help to beautify the parking garage, inspiring future innovative, engaging, and temporary uses of the space (for example, concerts, exhibitions, celebrations, poetry readings, markets, and more). These works of art will brighten up the parking infrastructure, create a new point of interest in the core, and connect to the already-established collection of community public art on display throughout downtown Windsor, including within Art Alley and the nearby WIFF Alley.

Strengthen The Core

Both initiatives also tie into the City’s Strengthen the Core: Downtown Windsor Revitalization Plan (STC), which launched in April to address safety, security, and cleanliness downtown, while implementing measures and supporting activations to encourage new residents, businesses, and investments in the city’s core.

Included in STC’s seven initial action items are Action Item 4 – Place-Making, which seeks to encourage people and businesses to move downtown by investing in infrastructure and initiatives; and Action item 5 – Vibrant District, which creates vibrancy by attracting and engaging residents and visitors with unique amenities, gathering spaces, and engagement opportunities. The ongoing revitalization of the Pelissier Street Parking Garage strongly aligns with both action items and the overall plan.

Quotes:

“When we launched our downtown Windsor revitalization plan in the spring, we said we would focus on safety and security, cleanliness and activations to highlight the amazing potential of the area and attract folks to the core. I was excited to work with Councillor Agostino, Maestro Robert Franz, and our community partners on the “Fall in Love With Downtown Windsor” weekend, and I thank them for their creativity, passion, and commitment to Building Windsor’s Future. These two initiatives – naming the floors of the Pelissier Street Parking Garage in partnership with the WSO and launching a call for artists to create new murals for this space – are part of how we are working to Strengthen the Core and create opportunities for artists and vibrant places where people want to be. I look forward to watching these projects move forward and to returning to this space next year to both see and hear what we have created together.” - Mayor Drew Dilkens

“Our ‘Fall in Love With Dowtown Windsor’ event did exactly what it was intended to do – bringing together businesses and artists, vendors and visionaries to see how exciting and vibrant the city’s core is and can be. Every positive action we take builds on the one that came before it, creating an incredible momentum for downtown. The revitalization of spaces like the Pelissier Street Parking Garage goes a long way towards realizing our shared vision of a thriving core packed with rich culture, engaged residents, incredible businesses, unforgettable art, and truly unique spaces. Downtown Windsor is the heartbeat of our city, and I look forward to seeing and hearing how that heartbeat gets stronger and stronger with every day that goes by!” - Councillor Renaldo Agostino, Ward 3

"As part of the Strengthen the Core plan, the Pelissier Street Parking Garage will undergo an incredible transformation through the ‘Park in Perfect Harmony’ initiative, and the new murals planned for the main-level spaces. These projects demonstrate the City of Windsor’s continuing commitment to creating a vibrant downtown that attracts both residents and visitors. By collaborating with community stakeholders in the arts and culture sector to create unique spaces and experiences, we are highlighting the potential for downtown Windsor to become a dynamic hub for culture, business, and innovation. These projects directly support Council’s goals of fostering engagement and encouraging long-term investment in our city’s core. It will be exciting to see these new initiatives come to life downtown.” - Nicole Anderson, Senior Economic Development Officer, Strengthen the Core

"Parking at the Pelissier Street garage will be a symphonic experience. It is the perfect way to start your evening at the WSO as you park your car on one of the floors named after our greatest composers: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. The naming of the garage levels is one of many positive initiatives that the City of Windsor is taking to recognize and advocate for the thriving arts community in the downtown core. The WSO is proud to play a leading role in this community." - Robert Franz, Music Director, Windsor Symphony Orchestra