Indigenous murals adorn Gordie Howe bridge crane systems

WINDSOR, ONT. — The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) has unveiled details of the Indigenous artwork program commissioned as part of the Gordie Howe International Bridge Community Benefits Plan.

The plan includes a commitment to engage an Indigenous artist in Canada to participate in the development of a project-related art piece, explained a Nov. 27 release. When working to implement this commitment, Bridging North America recognized that the outside panels of the tower crane climbing system provided appropriate canvasses for painting murals. With four climbing systems in place – two on each side of the bridge – the initiative was expanded to include a Southwest Detroit artist on the U.S. site.

The artists, Paul White, Teresa Altiman and Daisy White from Walpole Island First Nation, Naomi Peters from Caldwell First Nation and Roberto Villalobos from Southwest Detroit, were engaged in summer 2020 and began designing their paintings. The art features the international aspect of the project with the Canadian maple leaf and the American stars and stripes.

The climbing systems on which the murals will be displayed are temporary steel structures used to provide access for workers constructing the two bridge towers supporting the bridge. As the tower cranes are extended to their ultimate height of 250 metres, so will the artwork, making them visible from land on both sides of the border and from the Detroit River.

The panels for the Canadian tower crane were painted at Walpole Island and transported to the bridge construction site in fall 2020. The U.S. panels were painted onsite. The murals will remain on the climbing systems for approximately two years before being repurposed once the bridge is complete.

“This innovative opportunity for local artists to participate directly in the project, through a collaborative relationship with the project team and to reflect the character of the region, is representative of WDBA’s goals behind the Community Benefits Plan. We celebrate the remarkable craftsmanship and contributions the region has to offer,” commented WDBA CEO Bryce Phillips in the release.