FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NCCN-11-04-13-NR
April 27, 2011
Canada's Capital Region - The National Capital Commission (NCC), in collaboration with the Canada Council Art Bank, unveiled today the 2011 Provincial and Territorial Confederation Boulevard Banners. This year's banners will feature works of art by Canadian artists from coast to coast to coast – each one evoking the scenery and sense of place of the featured region.
"The banners contribute to the vibrancy of Canada's Capital Region and celebrate Canada's culture, history and geography," said Jean-François Trépanier , Executive Vice-President of Operations, NCC. "This first collaboration between the NCC and the Canada Council Art Bank allows us to showcase Canadian artistic excellence in a unique way, while enriching the Capital experience for residents and visitors."
Thirteen works of art depicting each province and territory have been reproduced from the collection of the Canada Council Art Bank - promoting and supporting public art in the Capital through the NCC's flagship banner program. Featured are:
Northwest Territories - Antoine Mountain
Yukon - Ava P.Christl
Nunavut - Kenojuak Ashevak
British Columbia - Kenneth Lochhead
Alberta - Barbara Milne
Saskatchewan - David Alexander
Manitoba - David Williams
Ontario - Alex Cameron
Québec - Pierre Gauvreau
New Brunswick - Molly Bobak
Nova Scotia - Joe Norris
Prince Edward Island - Verna Blanche Banks
Newfoundland and Labrador - Tara Bryan
"This is an exciting partnership for the Canada Council," noted Robert Sirman, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts. "The banners along Confederation Boulevard reflect the diversity of our nation's landscapes and the treasures of the Canada Council Art Bank. The unique setting enables Canadians to access the work of dynamic artists in a new and powerful way."
In addition to the provincial and territorial banners, the NCC is working with Parks Canada to celebrate their centennial with special commemorative banners. Those banners will be unveiled in early May.
About the Confederation Boulevard Banners
The Confederation Boulevard Banners program was initiated by the NCC in 1992 to coincide with Canada's 125th birthday. Every year since, more than 500 festive banners have adorned Confederation Boulevard, the official ceremonial route in Canada's Capital, for the summer months.
These festive banners create symbolic links with Canada's Capital and the provinces and territories and serve to commemorate important milestones in Canada's history. Past provincial and territorial banners have showcased the flowers, flags, symbolic landmarks, and architecture unique to each region, while commemorative banners have recognized several important anniversaries and milestones in Canada's history. Most recently, the banners commemorated the 400th anniversary of Québec City (2008) as well as the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (2009). In 2010, the special banners highlighted the Canadian Navy Centennial.
About the National Capital Commission
The NCC is a Crown corporation whose mandate is to create pride and unity by making the Capital a meeting place for all Canadians and by using the Capital to communicate Canada to Canadians. The NCC takes great pride in developing and planning a Capital for future generations and in organizing and delivering large-scale events such as the Canada Day celebrations in the Capital Region.
For more information about Confederation Boulevard or events and activities taking place in Canada's Capital Region, the public may contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 1-800-465-1867, 613-239-5090 (TTY) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll free TTY) or visit the NCC's website at www.canadascapital.gc.ca.
About the Canada Council for the Arts
The Canada Council for the Arts is a federal Crown corporation created by an Act of Parliament in 1957. The role of the Council is to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. To fulfill this mandate, the Council offers a broad range of grants and services to professional Canadian artists and arts organizations in dance, integrated arts, media arts, music, theatre, visual arts, and writing and publishing. It also promotes public awareness of the arts through its communications, research and arts promotion activities. The Canada Council Art Bank, which has some 17,300 works of contemporary Canadian art in its collection, rents to the public and private sectors.
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: The NCC will continue the installation of the Confederation Boulevard banners over the next few days. To obtain more information on the installation schedule, please contact NCC Media Relations.
Media Information:
Denise LeBlanc
NCC Media Relations
613-239-5750 (office)
613-851-9465 (cellular)
denise.leblanc@ncc-ccn.ca
Charles Cardinal
NCC Media Relations
613-239-5227 (office)
613-851-6924 (cellular)
charles.cardinal@ncc-ccn.ca
April Yorke
Canada Council — Public Relations
613-566-4414 x 4133 (office)
613-293-7831 (cellular)
april.yorke@canadacouncil.ca
Victoria Henry
Director, Canada Council Art Bank
613-566-4317 (office)
613-299-2232 (cellular)
victoria.henry@canadacouncil.ca
