Wondering about the story behind that bird sculpture with its stained-glass orb at the corner of King Street and Ridout Street? There is now an exciting new way for Londoners and visitors to discover the stories of public art and local artists across the city!
The City of London and the London Arts Council have launched six self-guided, online tours as interactive ways to engage with nature, public artworks, monuments, historical buildings, and landmarks from across London and surrounding areas.
Through immersive and dynamic elements that include poetry, music, dance, and more, the tours explore various sites, such as the Canadian Veterans Memorial Sculpture and As the Crow Flies, a living, eco-based public art installation behind Museum London, with input from local artists.
Learn more about each tour below:
Public Art & Monument Tour – Downtown Area
The tour features public artworks in our high-traffic core area, experienced everyday by Londoners and visitors alike. Podcast-style videos guide participants through conversations between local artist Amsa Yaro, and the former London Arts Council team member, Jeremy Jeresky, interspersed with beautiful footage of the artworks captured by local videographer, Stefan Sago.
Public Art & Monument Tour – Old East Village
Old East Village is home to many talented artists, annual artistic events, beloved arts organizations, and many vibrant, diverse public artworks created by artists and community members. This tour delves into some of the passionate voices behind the community artworks, captured through videography by Stefan Sago and Brad Spencer of Brad Beard Studio.
Public Art & Monument Tour – Victoria Park
Cultivate a new perspective of London's historic monuments through 10 expressive, multidisciplinary videos featuring curated musical performances accompanied by dance. Each piece of music was performed live by members of London Symphonia with improvisational dance by Mercedes Jane Payne at Metropolitan Church in downtown London. This tour challenges participants to interact with London's historic monuments in a new, reflective way.
Historical Tour of Downtown London
This tour is a digital storybook narrated by London’s first European settler, Peter McGregor, who is voiced by local historian and theatre artist Dan Ebbs, and illustrated by local visual artist Robin Henry. Ebbs walks tour participants through the history of London from McGregor’s perspective, using his experiences as London’s first inn keeper and entrepreneur to animate the city’s downtown landmarks and legends. Visit londonarts.ca/public-art-tour-peter-mcgregor for the tour.
Poetic Tour of London
A poetry and video project inspired by the people and places of London, this tour is written and performed by local poet Sunday Ajak, and filmed by Stefan Sago. Settle in for an inspiring, lyrical reflection on loving London.
Connecting Through the Sounds of Nature Tour
This music and video tour features six nature-inspired musical pieces by two bands: the Park Siyeon Trio, out of Daegu, South Korea, and Juice Joint from London. The videos also feature poetry by local poet Katie Jeresky and calligraphy by local visual artist Byungjin Choi, accompanied by nature footage captured in London and the surrounding area by Brad Beard Studios. This collaborative tour, with all performances recorded at the Aeolian Hall, was created through the London Arts Council’s Artist-in-Residence-Cultural Exchange Program.
All self-guided tours are now permanent resources available at londonarts.ca. A map of all public art locations is also available here.
These innovative tours were made possible with funding from the City of London and with the help of many community partners. Thank you to: the Old East Village Business Improvement Area, London Symphonia, Metropolitan United Church, the Downtown London Business Improvement Area, the Aeolian Hall, the City of Daegu, and the London Music Office.
Public Art and Monument Program
The City of London’s Public Art and Monument Program facilitates the creation of public art and monuments in London, which bolsters civic pride, provides focal points for community celebration, creates meaningful work opportunities for artists, and attracts tourism and investment. For artists interesting in participating, visit londonarts.ca/opportunities to check for Calls to Artists.
UNESCO City of Music Designation
On November 8, 2021, the City of London was recognized as Canada’s first UNESCO City of Music, joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). The UCCN strives to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. To learn more about this designation, please visit londoncityofmusic.ca.