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Surrey council awards $13,000-contract to artists for ‘creative bike racks’

One will be located in Fleetwood, the other at the Surrey Art Centre
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An artist’s rendering of a proposed bike rack for Fleetwood. The concept design is by Laara Cerman. (Image: City of Surrey)

Surrey council has approved contracts for two artists, with a total budget of $13,000, to complete designs for “creative bike racks.”

In a corporate report in Monday’s (Feb. 11) agenda, the Parks, Recreation and Culture Department presented the two concept designs for the bike racks; one will be located in the Fleetwood community and the other will be at the Surrey Arts Centre.

A selection panel recommended that Surrey city council choose Laara Cerman’s design for Fleetwood and Sofia Tan Wu’s design for the Surrey Arts Centre.

Cerman is a Vancouver-based artist and graduate of Langara College and Vancouver College of Art and Design. Wu is a an international artist from Honduras and she studied at Emily Carr University.

Cerman’s design, according to the report, references the Fleetwood area’s “natural and built characteristics.” It depicts the diagonal Fraser Highway and “breathtaking view of Mount Baker.”

Wu’s design, according to the report, references “the powerful energy of a community working and moving together,” adding that the active figures “invite visitors to the arts centre to joining in the movement, both artistically and literally, as they engage in activities within the building.”

Of the $13,000-budget, which “includes all costs for design, fabrication and installation,” $4,000 will be funded from the 2019 Community Enhancement Operating Budget and the remaining $9,000 will be funded out of the Public Art Contribution Program.

RELATED: ‘Creative bike rack designs’ in Surrey will fetch $2,000 each

In November of 2018, the Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) received the creative bike rack public art recommendation, and “unanimously” voted to put a call out to artists, according to the report.

The PAAC, reads the report, settled on themes for each of the bike racks: “Crossroads, Connections, Community” for Fleetwood based on feedback from local historians and community members as it “helps to reflect Fleetwood’s unique characteristics and values;” and “Move, Create, Grow” for the Surrey Arts Centre because it “reflects the activities and values of the arts centre and the joy of bike riding.”

Late in November of 2018, when the call concept proposals were put out, the city said it had a $2,000-award for the selected artists.

In total, the report says it reviewed 135 different designs with 69 submissions for the Surrey Arts Centre and 66 for Fleetwood. The selection panel voted “unanimously” for Cerman and Wu’s designs.

The report states that the “creative” bike racks initiative supports the objectives of the city’s Sustainability Charter 2.0, in particular, the charter’s themes of built environment; neighbourhoods, education and culture; and economic prosperity and livelihoods.



lauren.collins@surreynowleader.com

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15487222_web1_copy_190209-SNW-M-PublicArt-BikeRack-SurreyArtCentre
An artist’s rendering of a proposed bike rack for the Surrey Arts Centre/ The concept design is by Sofia Tan Wu. (Image: City of Surrey)


Lauren Collins

About the Author: Lauren Collins

I'm a provincial reporter for Black Press Media's national team, after my journalism career took me across B.C. since I was 19 years old.
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