IN 2020
This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the summer student program began a month late. Between June and August 2020, the four summer students hand washed all of the outdoor sculptures and the indoor sculptures located at 350 City Hall Square, the Windsor Sculpture Park, the Vision Corridor, Jackson Park, Coventry Gardens, Alexander Park, Alton C. Parker Park, Willistead Park, Whelpton Park and the WFCU Centre. They also hand waxed all 37 bronze sculptures after handwashing and removing the wax that had been applied in previous years. The students also hand washed another 98 sculptures both within the Windsor Sculpture Park and across the City. It is extremely important that the condition reports be completed every time attention is spent on each sculpture to ensure that records are complete. Staff can then track any noticeable problems, cracks, and coating issues and work with a conservator as required.
The students also reviewed, documented and washed (if appropriate) city-owned public art such as murals, corner stones, memorials, monuments, interpretative panels and celebratory installations. A data bank has been developed over the past several years which has identified 172 additional items outside of the sculptures for the team to monitor each year. Appendix B lists these additional items. When appropriate, the summer students provide maintenance to these objects beyond that of regular washing. This year they refinished the Armillary Sphere Sundial in the Paul Martin Gardens at Willistead Park to stabilize rusting and painted the inscriptions on the Japanese Garden plaques in Jackson Park to increase legibility.
The City of Windsor webpages were updated with new items from the data bank and older items received updated information and images.
Generally, people are very respectful and appreciative of the enhancements to public space with public art. Unfortunately in the second quarter of 2020, a rash of vandalism events occurred which has resulted in the City’s first insurance claim for public art.
Firstly, staff were notified on March 3, 2020, that the tail had been removed from Business Man on a Horse (WSP.2002.026) . William McElchran created a life size business man riding a horse and it was cast of bronze. There are five castings of this sculpture in the world and one other casting in Canada. The vandalism was relayed to