Public Art

Early last fall, Chris Titus, Chairman of Saint John Transit was pleased to announce that in conjunction with the construction of its new Operations Centre at 55 McDonald Street in East Saint John, Saint John Transit implemented the City of Saint John's One Percent for Art Program, and as a result of this program, was proud to announce that the selected artists from this prestigious national competition were Monica Adair and Stephen Kopp, founders of the design group the acre Collective based in Saint John, New Brunswick.

The selected work is entitled "in transit". The work has been installed outside the new headquarters building along the concrete retaining wall. The work consists of 85 unique aluminium panels (measuring 610 mm wide x 3050 mm high), each one depicting traffic signs, the language of the road, that have been reinterpreted to create a vibrant foreground and streetscape to the terminal.

Ten of the panels have been sculpted into simple benches whose form is inspired by the simplicity of the bus seat. Each panel is anchored to the existing retaining wall, creating a new landscape of color that runs along McDonald Street and is readily visible from Loch Lomond Road.

The Acre Collective: artists, Monica Adair and Stephen Kopp

The Acre Collective, selected as one of this year's young emerging designers
in Canada for Twenty + Change, poises itself as a practice of emerging
artists and designers whose work seeks to broaden the field of art,
architecture and design.

The idea for the Acre Collective started on a rooftop in Brooklyn, New York,
where a group of artists, writers, thinkers and designers realized that -
working together - they could contribute more significantly than any one of
them working alone. Conceived as a fresh and flexible way to tackle
projects and ideas, the collective brings together the right team for the
right project. Founders and team "corrallers" are Stephen Kopp and Monica
Adair, Master of Architecture graduates from the Architecture, Landscape and
Design program at the University of Toronto. They are currently based in
Saint John, New Brunswick. The artist collective has been involved in
projects that emphasize artistic expression, craftsmanship, and local
tradition, but approach each project as a unique design challenge.

Stephen & Monica have a personal interest in the explorative power of playfulness

and aspire to engage the viewer through their art in hopes to open a dialogue of new ideas.

The Acre views public art as an opportunity to heighten awareness of our surroundings,

question our assumptions and actively transform the environment we live in.

**The One Percent for Art Program is part of the Saint John Arts and Culture Policy adopted by Common Council on September 20, 2005. The purposes of the One Percent for Art Program are to enhance culture and the arts in Saint John; to provide opportunities for established artists to exhibit quality works of art in public spaces; and to enhance public awareness of the visual arts in the City.