Saint John art installation showcases salmon scultptures

Salmon Run sculptures return to Saint John Saint John's annual Salmon Run is on display featuring old favourites and new sculptures on uptown streets.

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Dozens of colourful six-foot salmon sculptures are scattered throughout Saint John’s city core as part of an art project called “Salmon Run.”

The project began in 2017 when ten salmon sculptures were painted and auctioned off to benefit the Interaction Children’s Theatre Company. Since that time, the “Salmon Run” has become a public art installation.

“They're beautiful, they're all different, they all tell a different story, the artists tell a different story,” says Victoria Clarke, the executive director of Discover Saint John.

“It's in expected and unexpected spaces, it draws you to go further out, it drives you up to stone church, it draws you up to the waterfront.”

Artist Fabiola Martinez’s piece, called “Memories,” is a love letter to Saint John. It showcases a collection of photos of the city, sent to her in 2006 from her now husband.

“He told me about the beautiful architecture, the beautiful buildings, and he sent me photographs of Saint John with a little description on the back,” says Martinez.

Martinez's piece is one of two new additions this year, bringing the official total to 23 salmon sculptures.

The “Salmon Run” installation is just one of a number of public art projects in Saint John in recent years.

“It invites the audience to come and learn a little bit more about the artist. It's not just about the work, it's also to learn about the artists in our area, or the art, about New Brunswick or Canada,” says Martinez.