The Canada Council Art Bank rental program is one of the simplest ways to make a workplace more engaging, and PCL Construction has taken full advantage of it, decking out its offices with art from the Art Bank’s extensive collection.
Claude Latour’s photograph, Sigwan on the Kichi Zibi (2024), hangs in a collaborative space at PCL Construction offices.
Last winter, as building industry leader PCL Construction was finalizing its new home, designed by Ottawa-based commercial interior designers 4Té, the company contacted the Art Bank to explore how its offices could reflect its unwavering commitment to diversity, inclusion, sustainability and innovation in its field. This led to a fruitful collaboration whereby 30 works of art from the Art Bank collection have been installed in PCL Construction workspaces.
Art that communicates
The company positions itself as a forward-thinking, visionary builder that values reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, the land and nature that epitomize Canada and the day-to-day labour of construction workers. The artwork selected by PCL Construction speaks directly to these themes and expresses them to everyone who visits its offices, thereby illustrating that there is something for everyone in the Art Bank collection.
“When it came time to decorate our new space, we knew that we wanted to find pieces that spoke to what we value as a company, and working with the Art Bank was the best way to bring that reflection to life—or, at least, to the perfect canvas,” says Paul Knowles, Senior Vice-President and a district manager for Ottawa at PCL Construction.
Reconciliation through art
Through conversations with PCL Construction leaders, the company’s commitment to acknowledging that the projects it builds are on traditional Indigenous and Treaty lands really came through, as did its desire to display Indigenous artwork in its offices. And so, several pieces were selected, including The Bear and the Fish (1964), by renowned Ojibway artist and grandfather of contemporary Indigenous art Norval Morrisseau.
Norval Morrisseau, The Bear and the Fish (1964), gouache on cardboard, 81.5 x 108.0 cm. Collection of the Canada Council Art Bank.
Wishing to recognize that its Ottawa offices were situated on the unceded land of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation, the company also selected a photograph by Claude Latour, a videographer, photographer, graphic designer and historian from Kitigan Zibi. Latour’s picture, Sigwan on the Kichi Zibi (2024), shows a menacing, stormy sky above dark waters, strikingly contrasted with white and aquamarine slabs of ice, solid and static in the foreground. With this photograph, PCL Construction is paying homage both to the centuries upon centuries of preservation work the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg have put forth as the customary keepers of the Ottawa River Watershed and to the raw beauty of Canada’s landscape.
Claude Latour, Sigwan on the Kichi Zibi (2024), ink jet print using ultra chrome archival ink, 111.8 x 167.6 cm. A newly acquired artwork for the Art Bank collection.
Nature as a canvas
As a company that changes landscapes and redefines skylines, PCL Construction is mindful of the land and nature of Canada. The company is concerned with lessening its environmental impact and preserving nature. In light of that, artwork like Leslie Reid’s painting, Genêts III (1983), was an excellent option for the company’s office spaces.
Leslie Reid’s beautiful painting of broom shrubbery, Genêts III (1983), adorns a PCL Construction executive boardroom.
With its subtle hues and the gentle movement of its lines, the painting invites a reflection on nature. The muted colours and harmonious composition can serve as a metaphor for PCL Construction’s ‘building green’ ethos: creating buildings that blend seamlessly into the environment instead of clashing with it. The painting conveys the company’s desire to respect and protect nature and to adapt its practices and buildings accordingly.
Nature is vitally important to PCL Construction’s success, as are the contributions of all its employees.
Artful labour
PCL Construction’s success depends on the day-to-day work of its employees, which is the company’s greatest wealth. By displaying art with industry imagery, the company hopes to evoke pride in one’s work and acknowledge its workforce’s efforts through the materiality and subject matter depicted.
Though PCL Construction’s projects may be large and reach impressive heights—they include hospitals, convention centres, biodiversity centres, commercial-to-residential conversions and postal headquarters revitalizations—they all begin and end with the handiwork of ordinary people.
“Art itself is a central theme in construction,” adds Geoff Howe, who was also a district manager for the Ottawa region and has now relocated to PCL Construction’s Toronto office as Senior Vice-President and district manager. “Builders get to take incredible designs created by architects and engineers and turn them into real, physical structures that can have a tangible impact on the lives of their communities. Whether they’re a heritage building, a gathering place like a library or a healthcare institution, they have a positive social impact on the community, and we get to play a part in making those spaces a part of Ottawa’s landscape for years to come.”
Betty Goodwin’s etching entitled Two Gloves Etat 2 (1970) was chosen for one of the company’s meeting rooms. Naturally, working with one’s hands is the very foundation of construction work and safety gloves are a construction worker’s most basic protective equipment. Goodwin’s piece is testament to the infinite potential that lies in manual work and serves as a nod to the company’s emphasis on worker safety.
In a meeting room at PCL Construction offices, Betty Goodwin’s Two Gloves Etat 2 (1970) is nestled between two of her other works, Trio One (1971), on the left, and Folded Shirt (1971), on the right.
Transform your workplace
Did you know that you too can emulate PCL Construction and so many others by renting art from the Canada Council Art Bank collection?
If having a workplace filled with diverse and vibrant artwork that can visually embody your organization’s culture and values is something you’re interested in, don’t hesitate to contact an Art Bank consultant to set up a free consultation. What better way to enliven your workspace than by incorporating inspiring and stimulating works of art created by a broad diversity of artists from across Canada?
“Working with the Canada Council Art Bank has allowed us to find art that not only complements our office but also reflects PCL Construction’s purpose and helps tell the story of who we are as a company,” says Paul Knowles.
While the collection’s extensive selection of more than 17,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs and works on paper may make choosing pieces for your offices seem daunting, you can count on the Art Bank’s knowledgeable art consultants to guide you through the process from start to finish. From selecting artwork to having it installed in your spaces, consultants work closely with you to help make renting art an excellent way to infuse your everyday work life with a little beauty.
And don’t forget to subscribe to the Art Bank bulletin to stay abreast of what’s new at the Art Bank.