Vacant to vibrant: Barton Street to become walkable art gallery this fall

Vacant storefronts in Hamilton's Barton Village will soon be transformed into temporary public art installations.

The Barton Village Business Improvement Area (BIA) is searching for Steeltown-based visual artists and art teams to take part in the Anything is Possible on Barton" project.

The project will see more than a dozen empty storefronts along Barton Street East turned into vibrant art pieces, with the aim of sharing the story of the community through themes such as intersectionality and inclusivity, spaces and people as well as the past, present and future, according to the BIA.

A list of the available storefronts - which span from Sherman Avenue North to just west of East Avenue North - has been posted online.

The call for submissions is open to all Hamilton-based artists, designers and collectives, both young and old. Proposals must include a concept statement, information about their proposed piece, an image of their suggested artwork and an artist CV.

Submissions for the project are due by Aug. 26 at 4 p.m. A maximum of 15 proposals will be selected by a four-person jury consisting of artists, project and community partners.

Finalists will be announced on Sept. 6, with the pieces slated to be installed between Sept. 28 and Oct. 5.

And then once the leaves start falling, Barton Village will seemingly transform into a street-wide, walkable art gallery from Oct. 7 through to Nov. 25. The project will come to a close in early December.

For more information, visit bartonvillage.ca.

Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com