Matt Shields of Saint John poses with the sculpture he designed as part of the 2019 Salmon Run. (Brad Perry/Wave News)
A popular public art installation has returned to the streets of uptown Saint John.
This year’s Salmon Run — put on by Discover Saint John — features 11 new sculptures, bringing the total number to 21 salmon.
Matt Shields, who designed one of this year’s sculptures, said he always thought this initiative was interesting.
“I’ve always sort of tinkered a little bit, been pretty artistic,” said Shields. “In my professional life, I do a lot of graphic design work, and this presented a cool opportunity to do some tangible art.”
Shields’ sculpture is located on King Street in front of Pristine.
In coming up with the design, Shields said he wanted to pay homage to the city’s industrial nature while also finding a way to reflect it.
“The bottom portion is this sort of gritty, worn-away kind of brick that really represents the buildings around it,” he said. “The top half is this glass mosaic that reflects and also accentuates the buildings that surround it.”
The popular public art installation known as Salmon Run is once again taking over the streets of uptown #SaintJohn.
Matt Shields designed this sculpture, which is located outside of Pristine on King Street. @VisitSaintJohn pic.twitter.com/PPdrXfpTrm
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) May 22, 2019
The casts of Atlantic salmon were created by New Brunswick artist John Morgan to produce an urban kaleidoscope of salmon sculptures standing more than six feet tall when mounted.
Victoria Clarke, executive director of Discover Saint John, said the Salmon Run helps bolster the city’s vibrant uptown core with the unexpected.
“Our city is developing a reputation as the go-to arts and cultural destination in New Brunswick and we had artists from around the province vying to paint or adorn the sculptures,” Clarke said in a news release.
The 2019 call for submissions received responses from over 30 artists with over 40 submissions.
Shields said public art like this helps people slow down and appreciate what is around them.
“In Saint John, in particular, the city is inherently beautiful and I find that can get lost sometimes in people’s day-to-day lives,” he said.
This year's Salmon Run features 11 new sculptures, bringing the total number to 21 salmon. These are just a couple you'll find on display throughout uptown #SaintJohn. (Thanks to my colleague @tamarasteele1 for the photos!) pic.twitter.com/FVMBgOLH8h
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) May 22, 2019
The 2019 participating artists are:
- Amy Ash from Hampton
- Corinne Monique Long from Saint John
- Deanna Musgrave from Saint John (returning artist from 2017)
- Fabiola Martinez Rodriguez from Quispamsis (returning artist from 2018)
- Geordan Moore from Saint John (returning artist from 2017)
- Holly McKay from Grand Bay-Westfield (returning artist from 2017, 2018)
- Jack and Jean Hudson from Rexton (returning artists from 2017, 2018)
- Kelley Joyce- Floyd from Quispamsis (returning artist from 2018)
- Matt Shields from Saint John
- Steve Chanyi from Quispamsis
- Tammy Capstick from Bloomfield (returning artist from 2018)
Discover Saint John is offering a directory for the Salmon Run at their Visitor Information Centres or online.
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