A new sculpture by artist Laura Marotta could be coming to the Cambridge Sculpture Garden on Grand Avenue South.
If council approves a recommendation next week to support the project, it would become the garden's first permanent sculpture by a female artist.
The city will provide a grant of up to $12,000 through the Core Area Transformation Reserve Fund upon proof of completion of the project, which must be done within one calendar year.
In its application for the funding, sculpture garden committee co-chair Judy Major-Girardin says they have showcased more than 20 temporary installations by female artists over the years but the materials weren't appropriate for long-term public display in an open access site.
"For the last few years, we have been actively exploring options that could help us resolve the under representation of female sculptors permanently on view," Major-Girardin wrote.
The garden currently is home to five permanent works, all by male sculptors.
Marotta's planned sculpture, called Pentagonal Hexecontahedron, is five feet in diameter and will be comprised of 60 separate stainless steel shapes treated with epoxy colour printing and a protective polyurethane topcoat.
The material makes it suitable for permanent public display.
It will be assembled in the artist’s Hamilton studio and transported as a completed work to Cambridge for installation.
"We believe this work adds something new for residents and visitors and complements the other works on site," Major-Girardin wrote.
Marotta is a sculptor currently teaching in the Visual Arts and Design program at Northwestern Polytechnic in Grande Prairie, Alberta. She holds a BFA degree from McMaster University and an MFA degree from the University of Guelph and still maintains a studio space in Hamilton.
"Her sculptures explore modular construction and geometry and invite us to consider interactions between form, colour, and our own human scale."
Staff with the city's economic development team say they have reviewed the proposed artwork and they believe "it furthers the efforts of enhancing a local landmark and beautifying one the city’s core areas."
The Cambridge Sculpture Garden has been a charitable organization since 2006 and has received support from the city and the province through the Trillium Foundation, ArtsFund and the Ontario Arts Council.
"The creation of new installations will also encourage future artists to utilize spaces around the city and sculpture garden, leading to greater levels of collaboration between the City of Cambridge and various artists," reads a staff report recommending the project receive council support.
