Skip to content

Hydro boxes decorated, artists celebrated

These are two of the four seasons painted by Jennifer Penner, decorating the hydro box at the corner of King and Ricardo Streets.
These are two of the four seasons painted by Jennifer Penner, decorating the hydro box at the corner of King and Ricardo Streets.  (Kim Wade)

The winners of the Hydrobox Beautification Competition were celebrated during the exhibition opening and reception at Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre last Thursday evening.

About 75 people gathered for the celebration and the exhibit of all the entries on display.

“It was a great turn-out. We were very excited,” says Gail Kerr, office manager of the Pumphouse.

Out of the 16 art works submitted for consideration, three were chosen. The winning submissions are Remembrance by Elaine Bryck, First Flora by Lindsey Kemp, and a set of four panel pieces by Jennifer Penner. The submissions to the contest covered a variety of media from watercolour, acrylic, oil, photography and textile art. 

The winning works have been duplicated by using digital imagining onto vinyl wrap. The wrap has been used to cover three hydro boxes in the Old Town. Bryck’s piece is in full bloom on the hydro box at Memorial Park. Kemp’s work graces the box at Front near Victoria Street. Jennifer Penner’s quadriptych represents each of the four seasons. Look for her pieces on the hydro box located at the corner of Ricardo and King Streets.

In addition to having the satisfaction of seeing their art on display for the public around town, each winner also received $500 prize money. 

Tim Curtis, president of NOTL Hydro, had an idea to beautify the hydro boxes and to use this initiative as a community-building activity with local partners. He approached the Communities in Bloom Committee and the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre. They partnered with the Town to organize the competition for local artists. 

According to Kerr, everyone involved felt this project and partnership was a success, and want to do it again. “Next year we will do a bigger call-out,” she says.

All of the submissions including the winning works are part of their own exhibit at the Niagara Pumphouse and will be available for viewing until Jan. 7.

Hydro boxes decorated, artists celebrated