5 Public Art Installations in Brampton

Published May 11, 2017 at 1:36 pm

Have you noticed how much public art exists in Brampton?

Have you noticed how much public art exists in Brampton?

Sculptures and paintings galore reside mainly in downtown Brampton and in Mount Pleasant Village. We’ve got public art installed in downtown Brampton dating as far back as 1913.

Public art is a part of any city’s cultural fabric, and Brampton’s public art weaves distinct, beautiful spaces throughout our city.

Here are five public art installations in Brampton you should take a walk and check out this summer.


5) Urban Bouquet by Charles Johnston

Painted on the Nelson Street Parking Garage wall on George Street North, Urban Bouquet depicts the city as an ecosystem of blossoming cultural sectors. The mural was completed in 2013 and inspired by Brampton’s Flower City designation and one of the City’s signature initiatives – the Heritage, Arts, Culture and Entertainment (HACE) Downtown Brampton Creative Economy Plan. These elements evolved into monumental oral bouquets and vignettes that depict the City’s creative urban culture through a dynamic relationship of imagery, symbolism and colour. Johnston has created murals mostly in Winnipeg and loves fantasy art, which is pretty evident in the mural.


4) Dominion Bell by John Tayler & Company

Our longest standing work of public art was cast by John Tayler & Co. in Loughborough, Leicester, England. It was originally installed as part of the clockwork in the tower of the Dominion Building at 8 Queen Street East in 1913. Now, the Bell resides in Gage Park. The Bell was restored and installed in Gage Park in 1973 by the Benson and Hedges Tobacco Company as part of their contribution to the Centennial celebration of the Town of Brampton.


3) Cenotaph by Mackenzie Waters

The Cenotaph monument in front of City Hall is another long standing structure in Brampton. The monument was unveiled on July 4, 1928 by Lord Willingdon, Governor General of Canada. The granite Cenotaph honours those who served and died in the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean War. Waters was a Toronto architect, who also helped design the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.


2) Roses by Robbin Wenzoski

On Vivian Lane, off Main between Queen and Nelson, you’ll find a a wood carving of roses. Wenzoski publicly sculpted the trunk of a 500-pound soft maple tree into this bouquet of roses and tulips in Ken Whillan’s Square in June of 2010. It’s unique, magical, and detailed, and definitely adds character to Vivian Lane. Wenzoski is a chainsaw carver and sculptor, and his work is clearly crafted with experience and care.


1) Ghost Train by Ron Baird

Baird crafted four large sculptures that were installed in 2011 for Mount Pleasant Village at 100 Commuter Drive. A massive rectangular prism constructed with silver and black metal bars, Ghost Train represents the actual size and type of steam engine that travelled the rails of the Grand Trunk Railroad in Brampton in the 1800s. The railway led to an economic boom that transformed a small village into our town within 20 years. All of Baird’s sculptures reflect Mount Pleasant as a well-planned “urban transit” village. Baird has executed over 150 public, corporate and private commissions and is one of Canada’s most successful sculptors.

For more on Brampton’s public art and landmarks, click here.

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