Public Art Collection

The City of Kelowna is home to over 40 traditional and contemporary works of public art, in both indoor and outdoor settings throughout the city. Discover Kelowna’s unique identity as interpreted by local, regional and international artists in works ranging from monumental sculpture to functional streetscaping, with an occasional touch of whimsy. 16 works are located within the Cultural District.

More information about public art works and artists appears below. Each listing is linked to an interactive map.

 

[view more photos]	A Quiet Beauty Assumes Our Valley Bob Kingsmill ( 2000 ) Lobby, Kelowna Community Theatre, 1375 Water St The Work 120 heavily-carved stoneware tiles are arranged in a large, colourful mural depicting the many moods and hues of the Okanagan landscape.
	more...

 

	Aerosol Art Mural Lars Widell ( 2006 ) Duggan Park, north of Bernard Ave between Highland Dr and Elm St The Work This project, with support from the Public Art fund, was an initiative of the Graffiti Eradication & Prevention program. Brilliant colours and whimsical forms progress through an image moving from the...
	more...

 

	Cenotaph Design: Andrew Gibbs (City of Kelowna) and Don Ferguson (Site 360) Fabrication and installation: West Coast Monuments and West-Wind Nurseries ( 2006 ) City Park The Work This group of monuments situated in an expansive plaza honours Kelowna's war and peacekeeping personnel lost in World War I, World War II, Korea and other military operations. The Veendam Walkway is dedicated...
	more...

 

	Circle of Friendship Geert Maas ( 1997 ) Entrance to Kasugai Gardens, behind City Hall, 1435 Water St The Work This stainless steel sculpture, donated by the artist, stands in memory of Yukihisa (Roy) Tanaka, and is testament to the close relationship between the City of Kelowna, its Japanese sister-city of Kasugai,...
	more...

 

[view more photos]	Concept to Creation Diane Gorvin, Philip Bews and Jonathan Yeltatzie ( 2002 ) South Courtyard, Rotary Centre for the Arts, 421 Cawston Ave. The Work 3 wooden obelisks are connected by a sweeping stainless steel arc and topped by bronze sculptures representing the flow of creativity from an idea to a fully realized work. Created during the Okanagan...
	more...

 

Sculpture Installed [view more photos]	Dancing Pedestrians Jock Hildebrand ( 2002 ) NW corner of Bernard Ave and Water St The Work This pair of cast bronze works was a joint project between the Public Art Fund and BMO Bank of Montreal. It celebrates human movement and interaction at an historic downtown intersection, a commercial...
	more...

 

Design Detail [view more photos]	Elemental Crystal Pryzbille ( 2002 ) Tree grates on Cawston Ave, the Arts Common (between the Rotary Centre for the Arts and the Kelowna Art Gallery) and Abbott St The Work Look for design elements representing the Okanagan in the inner circle (fish and waves), the corners (trees and fruit), and the edges (sun). These grates are a good example of functional public art. Each...
	more...

 

Sculpture Maquette [view more photos]	Escape to Stella Polaris John Nutter and Thor Erling Sunde ( 2000 ) Kelowna International Airport Atrium The Work This massive metal and glass sculpture reveals a flight of birds ready to escape. The birds and glass etchings depict species and symbols from the Okanagan's natural history. This commission was part...
	more...

 

Detail of completed fruit form showing terrazzo face [view more photos]	Fruit Stand Glen Andersen and T.S. Thomas ( 2002 ) Art & Heritage Walk (between Rotary Centre for the Arts and Library Parkade), off Cawston Ave The Work This whimsical tribute to Kelowna's agricultural history consists of seven concrete and terrazzo fruit forms on five benches, accompanied by mosaics of vintage fruit box labels from the 1930's and 40's. The...
	more...

 

Final installation [view more photos]	GO i.e. creative (Cheryl Hamilton and Michael Vandermeer) ( 2004 ) Entrance Foyer, Capital News Centre (Mission Recreation Park) 4105 Gordon Dr The Work This dynamic sculpture, suspended high above the main entrance to a community sports facility, is made of highly polished stainless steel, studded with jewel-like orbs of blown glass. Its kinetic form...
	more...

 

	Grizzly Bears M. Jacobi ( 1964 ) Children's Waterpark, City Park The Work This concrete sculpture (along with Ogopogo) is one of Kelowna's oldest surviving sculptural installations and many people remember visiting it as children. It reminds us of the connection between 'Kelowna'...
	more...

 

Single stone - Location 1 near Kane Road [view more photos]	Growth Karl Ciesluk ( 2007 ) 3 locations along the Brandt's Creek Linear Pathway, between Kane and Yates Roads, Glenmore The Work 'Growth' consists of seven sculptures, installed at three different locations along the Brandt's Creek Linear Pathway, between Kane Road and Yates Road in the Glenmore area of Kelowna. Each piece, made...
	more...

 

Detail of glass facade [view more photos]	H2O Kirsty and Philip Robbins ( 2002 ) Lobby floor and glazed wall, Kelowna Family Y Athans Pool, 375 Hartman Rd The Work Water-jet cut aluminum 'molecules' splash their way across the entranceway floor and continue in a froth of etched bubbles and waves on the second storey glass wall, all in celebration of water's dynamic,...
	more...

 

Detail of inscribed poem [view more photos]	I Had a Dream Zhao Lei ( 2002 ) Tugboat Bay, Waterfront Park, N end of Water St The Work Two white marble pieces, inscribed with poetry and natural forms, reflect the artist's interest in achieving balance between human society and the environment. Created during the Okanagan Thompson International...
	more...

 

	Kelowna's Centennial Aquatic History Picasso Productions (Don Makela) ( 2005 ) Pool, Parkinson Recreation Centre, 1800 Parkinson Way The Work This 38-panel mural project, undertaken as part of Kelowna's Centennial celebrations in 2005, features people, places and activities from Kelowna's rich aquatic sports history, starting with sepia-toned...
	more...

 

	Leaf Bench Design: Site 360 (Don Ferguson & Bob Evans) Fabrication: Mel Gunn ( 2006 ) Brandt's Creek Walkway, east of Sunset Dr The Work Commissioned by Canada Lands Company and donated to the City of Kelowna, this Brazilian cherry wood bench provides an ideal vantage point for viewing of 'Leap of Faith' and a restful spot to enjoy the...
	more...

 

	Leap of Faith Doug Alcock ( 2001 ) Brandt's Creek Walkway, east of Sunset Dr The Work A forged steel heron stands poised in the creek. Commissioned by Canada Lands Company and donated to the City of Kelowna as part of the revitalization of the Brandt's Creek Corridor and linear walkway.
	more...

 

Detail of completed bench showing painted tiles and pebble mosaic [view more photos]

Martin Avenue Mosaics Project Artist: Holliby Ross Lead Organization: North End Residents' Association Project Coordinator: Meredith Ferner ( 2007 ) Rear of Martin Avenue Community Centre, 1434 Graham Street The Work The Martin Avenue Mosaics project, installed in the park and playground area behind the Martin Avenue Community Centre, is comprised of three artist-designed concrete benches, decorated with approximately...

more...

 

Detail of mobius, photo by Gordon Hartley [view more photos]	Natural Language Jennifer Macklem and Kip Jones ( 2000 ) Library Plaza, 1380 Ellis St The Work 'Natural Language' consists of two works: a functional spiral bench and a rotating 12-foot mobius 'infinity' form, both made of cast stainless steel. The bench is enhanced with representations of biological...
	more...

 

	Ogopogo Peter Soelin ( 1960 ) Kerry Park, corner of Bernard Ave. The Work Visitors to Kelowna are often seen photographing this cheerful fiberglass rendering of Okanagan Lake's most famous resident, Ogopogo, who was originally named N'Ha-a-a-itk or 'Lake Serpent Spirit' by the...
	more...

 

[view more photos]	Okanagan Sunflowers Jo Scott-B ( 2002 ) City Hall, 1435 Water St The Work The Arrowleaf Balsamroot(Balsamorhiza Sagittata) was selected as Kelowna's official flower in 2001. This drought tolerant, exuberant wildflower was an important food plant for First Nation peoples. Jo...
	more...

 

[view more photos]	On The Beach Geert Maas ( 2002 ) Tugboat Bay, Waterfront Park, N end of Water St The Work Five cast bronze sunbathers are assembled in a family grouping. Note the different patinas used for skin, clothing and hair. Kelowna sculptor Geert Maas has spent many years exploring the 'beach' theme...
	more...

 

Detail [view more photos]	Peopled Place - Part Two Byron Johnston ( 2000 ) South Pandosy Town Centre Square The Work A brightly coloured entrance archway welcomes visitors to the Square and leads to a stainless steel tower filled with artifacts and implements chronicling the Okanagan's agricultural and industrial past. Kinetic...
	more...

 

Mural from a distance [view more photos]

Reach For The Stars Lead Organization: Kelowna Community Policing Association, via Graffiti Eradication & Prevention Program Project Artist: Scott Tobin, with assistance from the students of Springvalley Middle School and CHOICES program students Project Coordinator: Colleen Cornock ( 2007 ) Rear wall of Dan's Tire Service, 355 Spedding Court The Work Kelowna's largest mural is approximately 50m wide and 8m high, covering the entire back wall of a commercial building facing the schoolyard at Springvalley Middle School. The mural, based on ideas from...

more...

 

	Renaissance of a Tree Peter Ryan ( 1999 ) In front of City Park Pavilion The Work The base of this sculpture is carved from the remains of a huge cottonwood tree, felled during a major windstorm in 1997. It symbolizes, in part, the return of the Peregrine Falcon to Okanagan skies after...
	more...

 

	Rhapsody Robert Dow Reid ( 1993 ) Waterfront Park Plaza, N end of Water St The Work Monumental fiberglass dolphins play in a large fountain. This sculpture and plaza was a joint project between the developer of the Grand Okanagan Hotel and the City.
	more...

 

Final installation Location 3 [view more photos]	Run Richard Watts ( 2006 ) 3 locations, Mission Creek Greenway Phase 1 between Gordon Dr and KLO Rd The Work This series of three steel 'vessels' evokes a connection between human movement through water and the aquatic life cycle by referring both to the iconographic form of the canoe, and the archeological remains...
	more...

 

Final installation [view more photos]	Running Man Marion Lea Jamieson ( 2002 ) Queensway Ave Transit Mall (between Pandosy St and Ellis St) The Work Three laser-cut steel business men, interlocked in running motion, carry resin-cast briefcases full of bits, baubles and trinkets contributed by the community. Created during the Okanagan Thompson International...
	more...

 

Detail [view more photos]	Sentinel Dawn MacNutt ( 2002 ) South end, Art & Heritage Walk (between Rotary Centre for the Arts and Library Parkade), off Cawston Ave The Work This work, originally created in woven vines and branches and then cast in bronze, is inspired by totemic female figures known as caryatids, invoked for their wisdom and protection. Created during the...
	more...

 

	Seth Benjamin Ken Curley ( 1998 ) Canadian Cancer Society Southern Interior Rotary Lodge, 2251 Abbott St The Work This limited edition bronze sculpture celebrates the joy and hope of childhood and was donated to the Cancer Lodge by a local philanthropist. The dual name recognizes Benjamin, the sculptor's model, and...
	more...

 

Photo by Kyle Poirier	Skagway Robert Murray ( 1976-1977 ) Kelowna Art Gallery, along Cawston Ave The Work Large, crumpled planes of enamel-painted aluminum plate suggest the monumental landscapes of the work's Alaskan namesake. This sculpture was donated to the Kelowna Art Gallery by renowned Canadian artist...
	more...

 

Geert Maas assisting workshop participants in creating their medallions [view more photos]

Spirit of Kelowna Lead Artist: Geert Maas Project Coordinator: Elly Maas Contributing artists: 102 residents of Kelowna (see attached document for the list of names) ( 2007/2008 ) to be installed in City Fall foyer, 1435 Water Street (2008) The Work 104 cast bronze medallions made by Kelowna residents and by Geert and Elly Maas reflect the theme of 'community spirit.' Each medallion is a personal interpretation of the theme by a diverse range of participants,...

more...

 

	Spirit of Sail Robert Dow Reid ( 1978 ) Foot of Bernard Ave. on the waterfront The Work This iconic fiberglass sculpture by well-known local sculptor, Robert Dow Reid has become a symbol for the city and is prominently featured in many tourism publications. 'Spirit of Sail' (also known...
	more...

 

Final installation [view more photos]	Stones Pear Grove Craig Sibley ( 2005 ) Ben Lee Park, NW corner off Houghton Rd The Work Grass mounds in the shape of a 'yin-yang' symbol are bisected by a dry creek bed and encircled by flowering pear trees. A flagstone pathway leads to and away from a small, red, Asian-inspired bridge which...
	more...

 

	The Brevity Memorial John Davidson, Kootenay Monument and Great West Monument ( 2004 ) Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery, 1991 Bernard Ave The Work Organized by The Compassionate Friends as a memorial for children who have predeceased their parents, this installation includes a plaza, memorial walls, dedication monument, landscape features and a life-sized...
	more...

 

	The Working Man Denis Kleine ( 1989 ) NW corner of Bernard Ave and St. Paul st The Work This life-sized bronze sculpture of a working man at rest was funded by Culos Construction. Check out the interesting details such as the toolbox, hardhat, and the gloves in his back pocket.
	more...

 

	Time Piece Alan Storey ( 1980 ) Courtyard, Okanagan College Campus, 1000 KLO Rd The Work Commissioned by the College while the artist was still a visual arts student here, this commemorative sun dial, shaped like an open book, plays with the movement of light and shadow through the steel 'pages'. Alan...
	more...

 

Street view of installation (partial) [view more photos]	Timeline / Waterline Kirsty and Philip Robbins ( 2003 ) Abbott St., between Beach and Riverside Avenues The Work This series of 6 cement sculptures tells the story of one of Kelowna's historic neighbourhoods, now a Heritage Conservation Area. The top of each sculpture features a cast of rippled beach sand and a...
	more...

 

	Toy Amenity Mowry Baden ( 2005 ) Entrance to Fine Arts & Health Bldg, University of British Columbia Okanagan campus The Work Originally commissioned as a temporary site-specific work in San Francisco, this playful sculpture was later donated by the artist to the Kelowna Art Gallery. The structure is made of various recycled...
	more...

 

	Treescape Denis Kleine ( 1991 ) SW corner of Bernard Ave. and Water St. The Work Dolomite marble forms evoke the spirit of the forest and provide an artistic setting for patrons of a corner coffee shop.
	more...

 

	Untitled Peter von Tiesenhausen ( 1998 ) Corner of Water St and Cawston Ave The Work A decaying cottonwood log was transfomed by carving and ritual burning into an orb reflecting the artist's interest in environmental issues and the ebb and flow of natural cycles. This organic object...
	more...

 

	W.A.C. Bennett Memorial Courtyard Hartley & Turik Architects and Neon Products ( 1981 ) Corner of Queensway Ave & Pandosy St The Work William Andrew Cecil Bennett, a Kelowna resident, was British Columbia's longest-serving premier. The 20 spires on the tower represent Bennett's 20 years as premier, and 7 steps on either side of the...
	more...

 

	Wayfinding Directional Signage David James Pacholko ( 2003 ) Wayfinding signage and 6 information kiosks throughout the downtown area and the Cultural District The Work Colorful graphics, themed to their location, curve across the top of wayfinding signage and information kiosks throughout the downtown area and the Cultural District. Information kiosks are located...
	more...