Saturday, January 29, 2022 to Saturday, February 5, 2022, the temporary art installation Hidden St. Catharines was on display on the community organization sign board at the corner of Queenston Street and Cushman Road in St. Catharines, Ontario.
the goal of this installation was to not be noticed.
As a lifelong resident of Niagara, I had crossed over the Homer Bridge to enter St. Catharines countless times, and never given the massive organizational signs a second thought. at some point, I came to realize this is probably a common experience.
All the organizations on this sign board have long histories, weaved into the fabric of St. Catharines and the world, but few — including myself — know much about them aside from their name and logo.
Hidden St. Catharines aimed to add to that list of organizations, by creating some additional history in our community.
Hidden St. Catharines organization, a custom logo and backstory was developed. Once that step was complete, each organization’s logo was crafted into a metal sign to be put on display.
Each sign is approximately 24” wide, and hand-cut out of 26 gauge steel. Once cut, the sign blanks were primed and painted white. The organizational logos were then cut out of coloured vinyl, and applied to the sign blanks to complete the process.
graphics and photos were gathered from a wide variety of sources. every effort was made to use materials that were in the public domain, though in some instances information about copyright could not be found. all sources are detailed below.
Special thanks to the St. Catharines Public Library and their Digital Collections website, as most local photos and newspaper snippets were found using their extensive database of local media.
Issue #1: Walter Ostanek Fan Club Local 3091
Issue #2: The Ancient International Order of the Sawyers
Issue #3: Skink Lodge Local 419
Issue #4: I.B.V.T.M.P.R.
Issue #5: G.D.T.
Epilogue & Addendums
project has been percolating in my mind for years, and I am thrilled it has finally come to fruition. A big thank you to the select few who knew about this installation before it was made public, and kept it a secret.
Be thankful that we live in a community of real organizations that work to make St. Catharines a better place to live. Lastly, if there is a message behind hidden St. Catharines, it is this: keep your eyes open, and be curious.
Check out all of my Hidden St. Catharines research in person. Visit the Flea Market Gallery at the St. Catharines Factory Outlet Flea Market on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from April 21 to July 21, 2024.
Already checked it out?
Are you interested in purchasing any of the artifacts on display? Drop me a line at hello@hiddenstc.ca.
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