Visitors to the Richmond Animal Shelter at 12071 No. 5 Road are now welcomed by the new public art installation, Leaping Home by artist Celan Bouillet.

The artwork is inspired by the love and joy that animal friends bring into our lives. Playful laser-cut silhouettes of leaping animals, including cats, dogs, birds and rabbits are woven throughout a series of illustrated and patterned artwork panels, creating a sense of colour, depth and whimsy for passersby. Some animals can be seen leaping towards the Richmond Animal Shelter while others fly, hop and run in the direction of their new forever homes. 

Leaping Home is both public art and a part of a protective enclosure for the facility’s outdoor dog run, acting as a wayfinding device for visitors to the shelter. The expansive artwork panels along the fence line on No. 5 Road are easily visible to pedestrians and vehicles.

This public artwork was the result of an open call to artists with the City receiving 22 applications from artists residing in Metro Vancouver. The artist and art concept was recommended by an arms-length selection panel comprised of artists, arts professionals, community members and a representative from the BC SPCA.

Artist Bio
Celan Bouillet is a mixed media painter and installation artist. Her upbringing in the American South influenced her love of spinning a good tale, textiles and sublime landscapes. A graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, Bouillet is a Vermont Studio Center Fellow, a two-time recipient of the Houston Artist Association Individual Artist Grant, and has work in permanent collections across the US including the Bush Intercontinental Airport and MD Anderson Cancer Center. She currently resides in North Vancouver.

For more information, visit the Richmond Public Art Program.