Glen Abbey Branch Art Project
The Oakville community is invited to join in a series of immersive, hands-on workshops to create artwork that will become part of the of the Colour Connects installation at Glen Abbey Branch.
Caroline Macfarlane, Toronto-based artist and designer, has been awarded the Oakville Public Library, Glen Abbey Branch Art Project. Earlier this year OPL placed a call for Expressions of Interest to create a permanent indoor public artwork for the children’s area and outdoor patio area of the Glen Abbey Branch.
Workshops will be held every Tuesday in January 2023. The workshops are drop-in sessions and are open to groups of all ages and backgrounds. View workshop dates and times
The project will be installed in the summer of 2023 and unveiled in September 2023.
Installation Project: Colour Connects
Colour Connects creates opportunities for people of all ages and from all walks of life to come together and improve their shared resource: the Oakville Public Library's Glen Abbey Branch. With three powerful tools: creativity, colour and collaboration, Colour Connects invites library visitors to contribute to the transformation of their shared space.
The project has four components: community-based workshops, which will result in a large-scale collaborative digital mural, wall sculptures and colour interventions using all natural paints in both interior and outdoor spaces. The visuals generated within the workshops will be digitized and translated into a large-scale digital mural and physical wall sculptures that extend from the interior walls into the outdoor space of Glen Abbey Branch.
Over the past few years, Glen Abbey Branch has undergone significant interior and exterior renovations. In 2020, the Glen Abbey Branch introduced two unique spaces: the Creation Zone which is an area dedicated to creativity, innovation, and life learning skills through hands-on experiences and the Kid’s Zone, a bright and spacious area that welcomes children and families for fun and engaging drop-in programs. The new outdoor space expands the Glen Abbey Branch with a 1,900 square foot functional patio. Adjacent to the Kid’s Zone, it is a welcoming and accessible public gathering space for structured library programs as well as leisurely activities.
Artist Bio: Caroline Macfarlane
Caroline Macfarlane, is on a mission to change urban spaces through colour and collaborative placemaking. Caroline blends her expertise in urban design, interior design, collaborative artmaking and colour, with her passion for social justice to create restorative spaces that stimulate healing and create joy. Caroline believes beauty should be accessible to all and that when we create more beautiful and inclusive spaces, we in turn create more beautiful and inclusive ideas.
After working as Community Coordinator at OCAD University (2010-2016), Caroline moved to New York City to deepen her education in urban studies, collaborative design, and documentary filmmaking. She graduated with an MS in Design and Urban Ecologies and a graduate certificate in Documentary Media Studies from The New School in 2018. Her recent documentary short Falling Forward won “best documentary short” at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival (2020) and Blackbird Film Festival (2021). She continues to work as an artist and design associate at PINK Colour & Design in Toronto, Canada.