Spotlight on the Quidi Vidi Art Search: Public Art Consultant Jane Walker

In the spring of 2023, we were thrilled to launch one of our biggest projects yet, the Quidi Vidi Art Search: six artists and five fantastic pieces of public art sprinkled around the historic Quidi Vidi Village.

In the months that followed, we highlighted the creators, their works and community partners, including Julie Lewis' “The Sugarloaf” (City of St. John’s), Ian Gillies and Marc Fiset's “The Fishery” (The Wharf), Robert Hengeveld's "Altogether Knotty” (Quidi Vidi Artisan Studios), Vessela Brakalova's “Iceberg in a Bottle” (Quidi Vidi Brewery), and Kevin-Barry Martin's “Moratorium Cod Drying” (The Inn By Mallard Cottage).

This week, we’re shining a light on Jane Walker, the public art consultant without whom this project wouldn’t be possible.

Jane Walker

A visual artist and arts administrator, we were fortunate to have Jane lend her expertise and keen eye to this project, which was coordinated by Business & Arts NL’s Program Coordinator Lynn Panting. (Jane also worked with us in a public art consulting capacity on other projects, including at the St. John’s International Airport, and the new adult mental health and addictions facility.)

Having also worked with other arts organizations in the province, like the Bonavista Biennale and Riddle Fence, and through her work in helping establish Union House Arts (an artist-run centre in Port Union, which was recently awarded the prestigious Lacey Prize), Jane brought a unique and valuable skill set.

To help prepare for the role and related duties at the new adult mental health and addictions facility, Business & Arts NL connected Jane with Patricia Grattan, an established public art professional in the province and a founding curator of the Bonavista Biennale, to provide mentorship.

“That's something I really do love about Business & Arts NL — creating that bridge, not just for businesses to access the art world, but for artists to develop new skill sets and new markets for their existing skill sets. I've been really interested in public art for a long time and the power of it, and I wanted to be part of that process so badly because I saw it as such a space of potential,” Jane says.

Jane has also worked with individuals and community groups over the years to bring art into their spaces, and with small businesses like coffee shops to install exhibitions. The Quidi Vidi Art Search, she says, is a natural progression of that work advocating to get more art into public/commercial spaces, and more places in general.

Vessela Brakalova's “Iceberg in a Bottle.”

One of the pertinent questions while working on this project, she says, was: “How do we connect with visual arts in our lives, not just in galleries?” A particularly rewarding part of the role, she adds, was coming together with people from different industries and showing “the power of what visual art can do for your spaces, for the people that enter your business, enter your hospital doors…having those exciting conversations about what art can do for you and for your people.”

She was proud to help bridge that knowledge gap and take on the role of facilitator, while helping make art more accessible.

"I think art can sometimes be an intimidating thing to talk about. If you're not in that world and you don't have that language, it can make people feel uncomfortable. But I love breaking down those walls and talking to people about, ‘What do you imagine here? What do you love?’" Jane says.

"Letting them see the applications and getting into the minds of the artists when they're imagining what they see in those spaces…you don't know what's possible until you ask and you put out that call.”

Molly Margaret's colourful illustrations grace the baggage area at St. John’s International Airport. Photo: Ritche Perez

In addition to supporting local arts and culture, when a business invests in public art, Jane says, it’s also investing in how people interact with the space and how they feel in those surroundings, which adds value. Case in point: Vessela Brakalova's “Iceberg in a Bottle,” which is a functional gate, as well as an aesthetically pleasing piece of art.

She points to “Art Upon Arrival” at St. John’s International Airport, featuring works by local visual artist Molly Margaret, as another recent example.

“What an engaging artwork she made there. You're waiting for your luggage - sometimes it takes a long time - and you have all this visual content to wander around the arrivals area, looking at each detail. It's not just a dull space anymore,” Jane says.

“Art can be that problem solver.”

If your business or organization would like to consult with Jane on your next creative project, you can reach her at: jane@janewalker.ca