City's Public Art Program Seeking Indigenous Artists to Commemorate Chemong Portage

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The City of Peterborough Public Art Program invites Indigenous visual artists living in Peterborough and local First Nations to submit proposals for a public art project to commemorate the Chemong Portage.

The Public Art Policy, adopted in 2009 and updated in 2022, recognizes the role public art plays in creating culturally vibrant cities, identifies processes for generating and selecting projects and committees and commits an annual Public Art fund to maintain existing artworks and to commission new projects from artists across the country. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF PETERBOROUGH.

The Chemong Portage is an approximately 10-kilometre-long footpath and portage that once ran between Nogojiwanong/Peterborough and gchi-maang (Chemong Lake).  

The intent of Right of Way - The Chemong Portage Project is to commemorate the portage in a way that allows people to experience it. Visual artists are invited to submit digital images of their original artwork. Selected images will be printed onto vinyl media and wrapped around traffic signal cabinets located close to what is thought to be the original portage route.  

“This is a great initiative to highlight the cultural richness of the Michi Saagiig and educate the city and visitors that they are on an historical portage route of our communities,” said Tom Cowie of Hiawatha First Nation.

The call for artists, including more information about the project parameters with tips about the application process, is on the City’s Public Art webpage at peterborough.ca/PublicArt.  

Information sessions 

Artists are encouraged to attend one of three information sessions in early June. Public art program staff will be in attendance to answer questions.   

Hiawatha First Nation Cultural Centre 

June 3 at 3:30 p.m.  

431 Hiawatha Line  

Hiawatha First Nation  

Peterborough Public Library  

June 3 at 6:30 p.m.  

345 Aylmer St. N, Peterborough 

Curve Lake Nation Cultural Centre  

June 4 at 4:30 p.m. 

1024 Mississauga St.

Curve Lake First Nation 

The application deadline is June 25 at 4 p.m. All applications must be submitted online. 

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