With our weekly posts about Welland artists and significant artistic works in the city, WCN is continuing to highlight the Welland Murals.

STEAM ENGINE  | RON BAIRD  | 1989 (Bell Canada Building, located at 32 Cross Street, Welland)

Ron Baird is a large-scale steel sculptor and his affinity for heavy machinery is evident in this mural. Using brute strength and hard labour, the steam engine was used to build the old canal walls. The sky is patterned in hexagons which mirror the shape of the paving stones in the streetscape and create the impression of a honeycomb, with the man as the bee. Baird used bold and bright colours in order for the mural to compete with other surrounding stimuli.

Ron Baird graduated from the Ontario College of Art in 1964. Since then his work has been site-specific sculpture in architectural settings. His sculptures are mostly large metal pieces, many with elements that move with the wind. (from the Welland Museum).

More about Baird’s life and work can be seen here: https://ronbairdartist.com/

The exhibition Gone But Never Forgotten: A Look At Welland’s Outdoor Murals at the Welland Historical Museum is on display until the end of 2022.

Follow WCN on social media and sign up for our newsletter. We will continue – both in partnership with groups or overcoming apathy from others – to platform the issue of the Welland Murals, and to push forward in using this situation as a lever to improve civic commitment to culture (and ensuring that responsibilities are met, and will be met, in the future).