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Huron County's largest public art exhibit
Ursula Leonowicz • Postmedia Content Works
Aug 04, 2021 • Last Updated August 4, 2021 • 2 minute read
The Back Alley Artist Extravaganza is a public art installation located in Clinton, Ontario. The installation includes a picnic area known as Umbrella Alley. Central Huron
Inspired by Instagramable tourist attractions such as Graffiti Alley in Toronto and Street Art Passage in Vienna, Central Huron's community improvement coordinator Angela Smith put out the call for a open-air art gallery in Clinton, running parallel to Albert St., and the results brought truly inspired art back to the community.
"We're up to 155 paintings, which is staggering," says Smith, who was hoping to create a display with between 25 and 50 pieces when she first came up with the idea to distribute plywood to local artists to beautify the area's back alleys and streets.
"The entire region jumped on board."
One Love by Omar Willis. Central Huron
The public art exhibit is known as the Back Alley Art Extravaganza, or Artist Alley, is filled with a variety of artwork that represents the whole community and spans an entire generation, with the youngest artist featured being nine months old and the oldest, 97.
Nine-month-old Koen Smith's submission is an untitled piece that he made by crawling on top of a bag that was placed over a canvas filled with paint, while the painting made by a nursing home resident is a testament to hope.
Koen Smith, and his untitled painting. Central Huron
"The exhibit features 100 years of artists, which I didn't know was going to happen but I think is really impressive," says Smith who submitted her own piece, Baby Shark, for young visitors to use as their very own selfie station.
"The project was for all ages and skill groups so I reached out to schools, nursing homes, and everyone in between. There was no theme for the paintings, which sparked creativity. The timing was good too because people were looking for something to do, during lockdown."
All of the artwork — including Work in Progress, a surrealist piece that represents emotional growth done by 17-year-old Brette Brohman, One Love, a representation of Bob Marley done by Jamaican-born resident Omar Willis, Reflection, which was inspired by artist Laurie Whitson's grandparents, as well as Geode of Huron Path, a multi-matter artwork created by 73-year-old Carol Stewart — was made locally.
Geode of Huron Path by Carol Stewart. Central Huron
In addition to the individual pieces of art displayed behind the east and west sides of Albert St., including two museum-worthy depictions of animals — Apollo by Melinda Duden and Oink by Amanda Voisin — the Back Alley Art Extravaganza also features a public art installation known as Umbrella Alley, behind Godfather's Pizza, which offers shade, colour and the ultimate background for the perfect selfie.
The project, which was recently nominated for an Ontario Business Improvement Area Association (OBIAA) award, is scheduled to run until Thanksgiving.
For more information about the Back Alley Art Extravaganza, visit cchbia.ca .
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia's commercial content division, on behalf of the Central Huron.