Prince Albert is preparing to add three more Indigenous artworks to transit shelters after the City says its first round of installations received strong community support and showed signs of reducing vandalism.
The City has launched its 2026 Call for Indigenous Art for Transit Shelters, inviting Indigenous visual artists living in Saskatchewan to submit original designs. Two designs will be used for metal shelter backs and one will be used for a vinyl shelter back.
Arts and Culture Manager Judy MacLeod Campbell said the response to the first round encouraged the City to continue the project.
“We know that it was well received by the community, and we’ve had lots of positive feedback too,” MacLeod Campbell said. “We’d always hoped to do more.”
She said the City’s transit area was able to find funding for three additional installations.
The first round resulted in four pieces being installed earlier this year. MacLeod Campbell said the City received submissions from 10 artists and interest was somewhat higher than officials initially expected.
She said adding more public art also creates awareness of future opportunities for artists.
MacLeod Campbell said the Indigenous focus is particularly important in Prince Albert and connects with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.
She later told the Daily Herald that the original idea for the transit shelter art project came from a member of the City’s staff Truth and Reconciliation Working Group.
The project is also showing early signs that art may help with one of the problems the City hoped to address when the initiative was launched.
MacLeod Campbell said neither of the two metal shelter artworks installed during the first round has been vandalized. Of the two vinyl wraps, she said one had experienced a small amount of graffiti on one occasion.
She said she did not have statistics comparing the shelters before and after the artwork was installed, but called the difference significant.
The City is proposing to spread the next three pieces to different parts of Prince Albert. MacLeod Campbell said one is planned for the northeast area of the city, another near the Alfred Jenkins Field House and a third on Marquis near Canadian Tire.
She said the City looks for busy shelters while also trying to distribute the artwork throughout the community.
The artwork is intended to represent Indigenous cultures, create a sense of belonging and make the shelters more welcoming places for transit users.
“I think it enhances the transit experience,” MacLeod Campbell said.
The selection process will also include more Indigenous representation than during the first round.
MacLeod Campbell said the small selection committee includes representation from the City’s Public Art Working Group, transit and Indigenous members. She coordinates the process but does not take part in choosing the winning designs.
“We actually have increased the Indigenous representation on that committee compared to the first round as well,” she said.
Indigenous artwork can be seen on a transit shelter near Carlton Comprehensive High School. The shelter is one of four that received artwork through the City’s earlier transit art project.
Each of the three selected artists will receive a $1,000 honorarium.
MacLeod Campbell said the City looked at other public art calls and CARFAC rates, which are used as a guideline for paying artists, when determining the amount.
She said the honorarium could be reconsidered if another phase of the project takes place several years from now and costs continue to rise.
The three new installations are expected to cost approximately $16,500.
MacLeod Campbell said a metal shelter back costs about $7,100, while a vinyl shelter costs about $2,300. Those figures include artist costs and elder involvement.
Charlene Tebbutt with the City’s transit department said the project will be funded through the City’s transit budget.
Maintenance of the artwork will fall under the City’s broader approach to public art.
MacLeod Campbell said the City completes an inventory and condition report of City-owned public art every two to three years. A professional assesses the condition of each piece, while the Public Art Working Group and the City deal with issues ranging from graffiti and cleaning to larger restoration projects.
The next condition assessment is expected in 2027.
The transit shelter project is one of several recent public art initiatives in Prince Albert. The Mann Art Gallery spearheaded the Back Door Art Gallery this summer, bringing work by 10 artists to downtown locations with support from the City’s Public Art Stimulus Program and the Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District.
The City has also been dealing with the other side of managing public art. The Dr. Ed Gaudet mural on City Hall was removed in August after years of deterioration. A condition assessment found restoration was no longer viable or cost-effective, and there are currently no plans to replace it.
Asked whether the project could be viewed as one part of a broader effort to improve the transit environment following past concerns about vandalism, safety and cleanliness, MacLeod Campbell said it could.
“I think public art is important,” she said. “I think it helps define a community and tell the story of who we are.”
She said the reduction in graffiti and vandalism at the existing art shelters is another benefit.
Each artwork also includes a QR code linking people to information about the artist and the meaning behind the piece.
MacLeod Campbell said she hopes transit users take the time to learn something about the people and cultures represented in the art.
“I think the more we understand each other as humans and people who all live in the same community,” she said, “the better.”
She said she also hopes the artwork creates a more pleasant transit environment and something residents can take pride in.
MacLeod Campbell encouraged residents to respect the artwork and help look after public spaces while keeping their own safety in mind.
“As a community, it’s kind of that going back to being a community,” she said, “and looking after one another as opposed to sort of shying away or turning an eye to it.”
Indigenous visual artists living in Saskatchewan can apply, with artists from Prince Albert and area especially encouraged to submit.
The deadline is Sept. 28 at 5 p.m. The three successful artists are expected to be notified Oct. 8.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
