Council has approved ten pieces of art to go along the ION corridor, that includes pieces named Because Cats Can’t Fly, Spinal Column, and Fabric of Place.

Tom Galloway, the Chair of the Planning and Works Committee tells 570 NEWS the budget for the art installations was increased a couple months ago, from the $385,000 budget approved in early 2016.

“The final price tag, just off the top of my head, is about $850,000 for the pieces of public art that will be put along the route,” says Galloway. “We had increased the budget at one point several months ago, and some of the budget is coming, not just from the ION project itself, but from the public art fund.”

“Basically what it comes down to is you get what you pay for,” says Regional Councillor Sean Strickland. “For the type of art that we wanted, we had to pay a little bit more money.”

“When you look at many municipalities they budget one per cent of the total project cost for public art – so LRT’s $800-million, one per cent would be $8-million, we’re spending $875,000.”

The first seven artworks will be installed for the opening of ION, expected early in 2018.

“It may seem high,” says Strickland. “But I don’t think it’s a high number and when you look at the history of the region’s expenditures on public art we’ve definitely been on the low end of the scale.”

@FauxCapitalist@570NEWS@EricDrozd just wondering why folks think it is ok not to pay artists for their work? Just saying… — Sean Strickland (@SeanSstrickland) February 23, 2017

Some callers to the Eric Drozd show this morning questioned why the budget was increased.

“Why don’t we, because we can put the sanctions on how this is done, we sell advertising, but it has to be done by local artists, and it’s got to be tasteful and fit in these parameters, so that we make money instead of spend money!”

The following 10 public artworks have been approved by Regional Council. For more details, visit the artwork descriptions:

Continuum by Catherine Paleczny at Conestoga

by Catherine Paleczny at Conestoga Network by Ken Hall at Research and Technology

by Ken Hall at Research and Technology Spinal Column by Sandra Dunn at Grand River Hospital

by Sandra Dunn at Grand River Hospital Because Cats Can’t Fly by Veronica and Edwin Dam de Nogales at Kitchener Market

by Veronica and Edwin Dam de Nogales at Kitchener Market Tall Tales of Mill Street by Terry O’Neill and Tara Cooper at Mill

by Terry O’Neill and Tara Cooper at Mill Three Sisters by Katharine Harvey and Lindsey Lickers at Block Line

by Katharine Harvey and Lindsey Lickers at Block Line Shaping Residency by Stephen Cruise at Fairway

Three additional artworks will also be installed along the ION route: