Temporary Public Art

Artists: Dominic Laporte and Anaϊs Labrèque, DRIFT Mural Co.
Location: The east wall of the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts.

This mural honours the late Phil Hartman, a well-known and tremendously gifted screen and voice actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic designer originally from Brantford. Through a blend of portraiture, nature-based imagery, and historical references, the muralists highlighted both the well-known and lesser-known aspects of Phil Hartman’s life, and the city he first called home.

Central to the mural design is a vibrant portrait of Hartman surrounded by flowers including the City’s floral emblem, the daffodil. A delicate purple ribbon near his lapel serves as a tribute to victims of domestic violence. Below his portait is a bicycle, an ode to the famous Pee-Wee Herman character that Phil Hartman helped create. The name “Mike”, is subtly added to the bike, paying homage to the community spirit embodied by “Mike on a Bike”, a beloved local resident of Brantford known for bringing people together.

The mural features significant locations from Hartman's youth, such as his childhood home and Wilkes Dam, alongside references to memorable moments from his career, including a Saturday Night Live sketch with Wayne Gretzky. At the very top, an airplane pays tribute to Phil Hartman’s lesser known passions for flying, surfing and sailing.

A film strip emerges near a vintage ‘On Air’ sign, which is a nod to his work on NewsRadio, and chronicles key milestones in his career including some of his beloved characters and impersonations including Chick Hazard Private Eye, Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz fom The Simpsons, the Unfrozen Caveman, Bill Clinton and Bill McNeal. A selection of album covers highlight his early success in graphic design, before culminating with an image of Hartman in the film, Jingle All the Way, further symbolizing Brantford’s nickname of  “The Telephone City.” The mural culminates with an iconic photo of Hartman with the City Hall bronze lions, looking back and saluting his career and reflecting on his pride in his achievements and his hometown.

The A star over Brantford: A tribute to Phil Hartman mural evokes a sense of pride, and celebrates the unique identity of the Brantford community as it connects to the life and legacy of Phil Hartman.

Brantford's Grand Exhibit is a partnership between the City of Brantford and Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant, which features twelve to-scale reproductions from Glenhyrst's permanent collection displayed throughout the City. The Grand Exhibit showcases a small piece of over 600 original works of art from Glenhyrst's permanent collection. The twelve pieces selected for Brantford's Grand Exhibit were voted on by members of the community.

This project was made possible with the generous support from the Downtown Brantford BIA, Brooks Signs, and Awake Productions.

View Brantford’s Grand Exhibit locations.

Artist: Kyle Joedicke
Location: Brantford Farmers' Market, 79 Icomm Drive

The mural at the Brantford Farmers’ Market was created by local Indigenous artist Kyle Joedike, Cayuga, Turtle Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River. The mural depicts historic agricultural practices and plants that are significant to the Haudenosaunee people. Corn, beans, and squash, otherwise known as the “Three Sisters,” are shown growing side by side. Also pictured are a representation of the strawberry, or “heart berry,” and an abstract representation of maple trees.

“I wanted to bring Indigenous cultural and agricultural knowledge to the forefront of the space,” says Joedike.

“Our connection with nature is held together by a very frayed string. We have an incredible tenuous balance with the resources that we take, and the effect that has on the environment. This piece is meant to speak to how we need to maintain that balance through sustainable agricultural practices to ensure that the resources we have will be left for the generations to come.” Joedike hopes the mural will also help “the Indigenous community of Brantford feel a sense of ownership and inclusion in an urban environment.”

The mural can be viewed in the café space inside the Brantford Farmers’ Market, during regular hours of operation.

Artists: Betony Coons and Katie Flindall
Location: Brantford Public Library Main Branch, 173 Colborne Street

Artists' Statement: "Our collaboration vision for the Brantford Library Children’s space is a visually engaging, colorful assemblage that intertwines the natural waterways, parks, wildlife and flora of Brantford with whimsical visuals that represent the library’s role in a child’s life-long journey of learning and exploration.

Our intent is to spark imagination and ignite questions about our big beautiful world while creating a magical and cozy space for children young and old to curl up with a good book. Like a canoe traveling down the river, our mural hopes to speak to the journey through stories at the library and the exploration of Brantford’s local landscape of trails, flora and native species."

Artist: Yasaman Mehrsa
Location: Brantford Public Library Main Branch, 173 Colborne Street, on the wall to the right of the stairs ascending from the Market St. Parkade to Colborne St. E.

Yasaman Mehrsa worked closely with community members to design and create a Community Peace Mural. The overall theme is unity through our differences, celebrating the real human stories behind our increasingly diverse community. Community members were invited to share stories and imagery that symbolize their unique identities, cultures, and experiences for incorporation into the final design of the mural. The idea for a Community Peace Mural project took inspiration from the Pieces for Peace project, a collaborative effort supported by the City of Brantford, the Laurier Hub for Community Solutions, the Brantford Immigration Partnership, and other partners. 

Artists: Cassandra Chambers, Aleah Durham, Elizabeth Gosse, Arlene Laskey, Dave McCreary, Aliki Mikulich, Alex Mikulich, Lizzie Mikulich, Christa Potter and Heather Vollans
Location: Various

The Little Free Library in Brantford is a public art project aimed at inspiring a love of reading, building community, and sparking creativity in Brantford. This is a collaborative project between the City of Brantford, Brant Skills Centre, and Jono & Laynie Photo + Film.

There are many benefits of installing Little Free Libraries, including: an enhanced sense of neighbourhood and community pride; freewheeling exchange of books that is community-curated; offers insight into the values and interest of our community; and children, youth and adults of all ages, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds can participate equally - among countless other reasons.

Our hope is that these Little Free Libraries will inspire the love of reading, provide learning opportunities, and encourage appreciation for public art in Brantford. These humble book exchanges will help to enhance our neighbourhoods, and will provide our community with a space to express what is important to them.

Artist: Blaze Wiradharma

Location: The west wall of the Brantford Public Library, 173 Colborne Street.

The mural celebrates Brantford’s rich history, honours the beauty and significance of the Grand River, and emphasizes the importance of libraries, learning, and education. A winding river flows through the composition, surrounded by lush trees and greenery. Local wildlife inhabit the scene including a white-tailed deer, largemouth bass, and a monarch butterfly. The deer, positioned on the left, symbolizes the Indigenous people of the Neutral Nation, known as the Chonnonton or "People of the Deer", who were the area’s first settlers.

At the heart of the mural are two children reading a book. Dressed in orange, the children serve as a poignant reminder of the Indigenous children who were forcibly taken to residential schools. As they read, pages from their book swirl around the composition, revealing key figures, moments, and landmarks from Brantford's history. This dynamic movement not only guides the viewer's eye but also highlights the transformative power of reading, libraries, and education. To the left, the green space seamlessly transitions into a library setting, further reinforcing this theme. 

This mural is part of a larger project that will see a community performance space developed in Brantford’s downtown. The mural was installed alongside the existing La Landscape de Kanata public art piece and will function as a visual element and backdrop for performing artists. Upon completion in 2025, the area will include a performance stage, picnic tables, and garden landscaping under the mural wall.