The Victoria Park Public Art Project is a City of Kingston project which addresses a strategic objective of the Public Art Master plan which identifies park renewal and park redevelopment as two possible site types for City capital public art projects.   

In 2017, the City of Kingston completed the revitalization of Victoria Park that included the addition of a new splash pad, tennis and basketball courts and a BBQ/picnic zone that enhances the space for the community to come together to meet, talk and play. This work was led by staff from Recreation & Leisure Services and the planning process coincided with the development of the Public Art Master Plan and Public Art Policy, which resulted in this park renewal project offering an opportunity for the City to pursue the commissioning of its first large-scale permanent public art installation in over forty years. 

Project Award

A jury that included two Kingston-based artists and two Victoria Park community members have selected the work ‘Horse and Cart’ by Nicholas Crombach as the winning proposal for the Victoria Park Public Art Project. This process was facilitated by the City in keeping with the Public Art Policy as approved. 

Art type: Permanent
Budget: $55,000
Location: Victoria Park

Installation was completed June 3, 2021.

Horse and Cart by Nicholas Crombach

Horse and Cart consists of a children’s wooden horse cart and a life-sized horse, depicting a toy transforming into a full-sized horse and buggy. Inspired by the horse and buggy era when Victoria Park was first established, the sculpture – which measures 15 ft in length and 7.5 ft in height – aims to enliven local history and to engage the imagination of park visitors through its amusing, familiar imagery. Shaped with research into Williamsville’s history, “Horse and Cart” also mirrors the history of Victoria Park itself: it was once a plot of farmland, which was granted to the City of Kingston for the purpose of developing a park for recreational enjoyment, and leisure activities. 

Nicholas Crombach is based in Kingston, Ontario and has exhibited in Ontario,  Quebec and across North America and Europe. Crombach’s sculptural work engages subject matter derived from styles and motifs attributed to the fine and decorative arts and traditional crafts of past eras. Crombach creates contemporary confrontations by disrupting these historical references through the addition of playful and unexpected materials, details, and gestures. 

Artist Selection Process

The commissioning of the Victoria Park Public Art Project involved a two-phase procurement process including a Request for Information (RFI) that was issued in April 2018 and closed in May 2018 and a Request for Proposal (RFP) that was issued in October 2018 and closed in May 2019.  

To support the artists through the RFP process and to ensure transparency within and awareness of the Public Art Program, staff held a public engagement session at the Memorial Centre on April 13, 2019 where members of the community were invited to meet the shortlisted artists, view their proposals, and provide feedback. This feedback was gathered by staff and provided back to the shortlisted artists who used this information to refine their proposals. 

A jury comprised of two Kingston-based artists Jocelyn Purdie and Teresa Carlesimo and two Victoria Park community members Joanne Thompson and Ulrike Bender reviewed all submissions and shortlisted four artists and one artist collective to respond to the RFP. The jury evaluated the five proposals based on  artistic excellence and creativity of approach, compliance with the objectives and requirements, appropriateness to the site and community context, maintenance and conservation requirements, budget, timeline, technical feasibility and probability of success, experience on similar projects, including reference feedback, and Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Reg. 429/7. 

Artwork Rendering

Project News