Artist selected to create public art for Skyway Community Centre

The City of Burlington has selected Xiaojing Yan’s proposal titled Ephemeral Reverie for the Skyway Community Centre Public Art Project. A citizen jury shortlisted three artists to create preliminary design proposals for this project. These designs were displayed for public feedback. Over 500 residents submitted comments which were used to help inform the jury’s final selection. The artwork will be installed in Fall 2024.

Artist Statement, Xiaojing Yan

“In the heart of Skyway Community Centre, Ephemeral Reverie is an art installation that not only whispers of environmental urgency but also binds the community's heartbeat. Crafted from different hues of coloured concrete, it paints a melancholic picture of melting icebergs, echoing the climate's distress call.

Each shade woven into the concrete mirrors diverse facets of nature, aligning seamlessly with the community centre's redesigned values of sustainability. This multicolored beacon not only ignites discussions on our planet's environmental challenges but also emphasizes the shared responsibility of the community to act.

Guiding souls towards the Skyway Community Centre, this artwork stands tall, acting as a beacon to help guide visitors toward the main entrance. Furthermore, it acts as a testament to the community's commitment to sustainability and innovation. Its vivid design complements the centre's fresh architecture, serving as both a reminder of our bond with nature and our duty to protect it.

Crafted with an eco-friendly and recyclable type of concrete, Ephemeral Reverie narratives the community centre's ethos of reducing carbon footprints and embracing green initiatives. As its story unfolds, the installation can be reborn, its materials repurposed, emphasizing the continuous cycle of community renewal and rejuvenation.

Beyond its aesthetic charm, Ephemeral Reverie stands as a community emblem, echoing the values of the reimagined Skyway Community Centre. It serves as a poignant reminder of our collective duty to tread lightly on Earth, fostering a legacy of care, unity, and sustainable vision.”

Artist Biography

Xiaojing Yan is a Chinese-Canadian artist whose work embraces her sense of having a hybrid identity. Settling permanently in the Toronto area, her work reflects her journey through these various cultures, arriving at her own personal vocabulary. Her unique point of view unites the past and the present, encompassing culture and nature, art and science.

Her work has appeared in solo exhibitions at institutions including the Chinese American Arts Council in New York City, Richmond Art Gallery in Canada, Suzhou Museum in China, Hermès Maison in Shanghai, and Varley Art Gallery in Canada. Her projects have been featured in venues throughout Canada as well as China, France, USA and Greece. Yan has also completed commissions in Canada, China and France including her Zodiac Sign Project commission and installation Cloudscape at the Royal Ontario Museum, window display “Into the Dreams” and installation “Emergence” by Hermès, Shanghai, China.

Yan is a recipient of numerous awards and grants including Project Grants from the Canada Council, the Annual Conference Support Grant from College of Art Association (2021), Chalmers Arts Fellowship from the Ontario Arts Council (2016), Young Alumni Achievement Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2014). Yan’s work has been written about in Art in America, Canadian Art, Sculpture Magazine, Yishu-Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, The Art Newspaper, Fiber Focus, among others. She holds an MFA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2007) and a BFA from Nanjing University of the Arts (2000).

Learn more about Yan at https://yanxiaojing.com/

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Angela Paparizo, Manager of Arts and Culture

“Thank you to our Citizen Jury and everyone who shared their thoughts on the three final designs last fall. Your feedback helped the Citizen Jury select this piece that will welcome visitors to the new Skyway Community Centre.

We are excited to have Ephemeral Reverie become a welcoming beacon for the new Skyway Community Centre when it opens later this year.”

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