Public Art Guitar Project
Play Me Kingston
This summer, downtown Kingston becomes a living gallery with Play Me Kingston, a new public art experience featuring 11 custom-designed guitar sculptures created by local and regional artists.
From mid-August to November 1, 2026, visitors are invited to explore downtown and discover these larger-than-life works of art installed throughout 11 locations across the city’s core. The collection will feature five 6-foot guitar sculptures and six 3-foot guitar sculptures, each showcasing a unique artistic style, creative vision, and personal interpretation of Kingston’s music culture.
Every guitar tells a story, inspired by Kingston’s vibrant music scene, cultural history, iconic performances, local artists, and the powerful connections that music creates within our community.
This exciting installation celebrates two major moments in Kingston’s music history:
- The 10th anniversary of The Tragically Hip’s final concert.
- The inaugural RoadTrip Music Festival on September 12.
Find the Guitars
Explore Kingston one guitar at a time.
Turn downtown Kingston into your own outdoor gallery tour. Follow the map to discover 11 one-of-a-kind guitar sculptures located throughout the city’s core, each bringing a different artistic vision and story to the streets.
Discover the Art & Artists
A Little After Nine
Artist: Colin Green
Inspired by Kingston’s deep connection to live music and the lasting legacy of The Tragically Hip, this guitar celebrates the shared experience between musicians and their fans. From the crowd at the Hip’s final concert to the constellations of Bobcaygeon and fireworks over Springer Market Square, the design reflects the energy, memories, and connection that make live music special. Without the fans, there is no show. The music belongs to everyone who was there.
Guitar Sponsors:
Delta Hotels by Marriott Kingston Waterfront
Learn more about the artist
Colin Green
Working under the name Broke Canvas, this Kingston-based artist creates paintings and mixed-media works inspired by street art, graphic design, and nostalgia. For Play Me Kingston, Broke Canvas will be bringing this unique artistic style to two custom guitar sculptures, transforming them into engaging public art pieces. Through public art and mixed media, he explores connections between people, place, and local culture while making art that is accessible and engaging for everyone.
A Loud Shy Guy!
Artist: Sergio Jaua
Inspired by Gord Downie’s final tour with The Tragically Hip in 2016 and his powerful multimedia project Secret Path, this guitar honours Kingston’s musical legacy and the lasting impact of storytelling through art. The portrait captures Gord during the band’s final performance at Budweiser Gardens, while collage elements featuring imagery from Secret Path reflect themes of memory, reconciliation, and compassion. This piece celebrates music’s ability to connect communities and inspire meaningful conversations.
Guitar Sponsors:
Chris James Kingston
Learn more about the artist
Sergio Jaua
A Venezuelan-Canadian artist and designer, Sergio Jaua’s work explores identity, memory, and migration through portraiture. Blending his background in graphic design with expressive painting, he creates works that celebrate resilience, belonging, and cultural diversity. For Play Me Kingston, Jaua will bring his unique artistic vision to two custom guitar sculptures, transforming them into meaningful public art pieces that reflect his exploration of shared stories and human connection. Based in rural Ontario, Jaua’s art has been exhibited in Kingston and internationally in Portugal, fostering conversations around culture, identity, and belonging.
Are we family?
Artist: Colin Green
Influenced by the We Are the Same album artwork, this guitar shows Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair, Paul Langlois, and Johnny Fay gathered around a campfire. Gord Downie’s hat sits among them, representing his place within the band and its history. “Forever Hip” reflects the band’s continuing journey as musicians and the music they continue to create, perform, and share with the people who have been part of it along the way.
Guitar Sponsors:
Woodenheads and Casa Domenico
Learn more about the artist
Colin Green
Working under the name Broke Canvas, this Kingston-based artist creates paintings and mixed-media works inspired by street art, graphic design, and nostalgia. For Play Me Kingston, Broke Canvas will be bringing this unique artistic style to two custom guitar sculptures, transforming them into engaging public art pieces. Through public art and mixed media, he explores connections between people, place, and local culture while making art that is accessible and engaging for everyone.
Echoes in the Glass
Artist: Rowynne Grant
Echoes in the Glass celebrates music as a foundation of Kingston’s cultural identity, transforming the guitar into a stained-glass-inspired tribute to the city’s musical roots and evolution. Inspired by the first instrument in Kingston being a piano in the church, the design blends tattoo-inspired linework with symbols of local legends. A heart in flames, spinal column, piano keys, and celestial imagery reference the influence of artists like The Tragically Hip and Bryan Adams, reflecting how music continues to light up Kingston’s past, present, and future.
Guitar Sponsor:
Homestead Land Holdings Limited
Learn more about the artist
Rowynne Grant
Rowynne “Ro” Grant is a multidisciplinary artist, graphic designer, and tattooist based in Kingston-Katarokwi. Working across painting, illustration, tattoo, collage, poetry, and multimedia art, she creates vibrant works inspired by nature, cartoons, and themes of connection, magic, and self-discovery. Her practice is characterized by layered textures, organic forms, and bold colour, blending mediums to create richly detailed and immersive pieces.
Five Shades of the Hip
Artist: Sergio Jaua
This guitar sculpture celebrates The Tragically Hip as a collective force whose music helped shape Kingston’s cultural identity and continues to inspire generations across Canada. Featuring expressive portraits of all five band members, the design honours their individual contributions and the creative connection that united them. Flowing colours, layered textures, and dynamic lines symbolize collaboration, movement, and the rhythm of their music. Through portraiture and abstraction, this piece celebrates the enduring legacy of The Tragically Hip and their deep connection to Kingston.
Guitar Sponsor:
Tourism Kingston
Learn more about the artist
Sergio Jaua
A Venezuelan-Canadian artist and designer, Sergio Jaua’s work explores identity, memory, and migration through portraiture. Blending his background in graphic design with expressive painting, he creates works that celebrate resilience, belonging, and cultural diversity. For Play Me Kingston, Jaua will bring his unique artistic vision to two custom guitar sculptures, transforming them into meaningful public art pieces that reflect his exploration of shared stories and human connection. Based in rural Ontario, Jaua’s art has been exhibited in Kingston and internationally in Portugal, fostering conversations around culture, identity, and belonging.
KTown Hip
Artist: Tammy Leonard
This acoustic replica art guitar has been lovingly painted in tribute to the final concert by The Tragically Hip. While the face of the guitar depicts all of the members of the band rockin’ out on stage, the embellishments on the neck and sides are definitely a nod to Gord Downie’s epic wardrobe style during the tour. Think feathers and big bright blue sparkles!
Guitars Sponsors:
Woodenheads and Casa Domenico
Learn more about the artist
Tammy Leonard
A Kingston-based artist, musician, and guitar enthusiast, she draws inspiration from Canadian and European masters, creating visually engaging works rooted in a lifelong passion for art. For Play Me Kingston, she will bring her love of music and visual storytelling to two custom 3-foot guitar sculptures, combining her experience as a painter, guitarist, and guitar builder to create unique public art pieces. Her painting Hoople Island earned First Place at the 2026 Friends of Fulford Place Foundation Juried Art Show. Beyond painting, she is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and collector who continues to blend her passions for music and visual art through her creative practice.
Midnight Journey
Artist: Yasaman Mehrsa
This guitar sculpture imagines music as a living connection between creativity, nature, and community. At its centre, a bird-human figure plays and sings guitar, symbolizing music as a universal language shared by all living beings. Surrounded by water, trees, birds, and a starry sky, the guitar transforms into a symbolic landscape where sound and nature come together. Inspired by Kingston’s vibrant musical spirit, this piece celebrates music as an ongoing presence that connects people, imagination, and the world around us.
Guitar Sponsor:
Downtown Kingston
Learn more about the artist
Yasaman Mehrsa
An Iranian-Canadian visual artist and muralist based in Toronto whose work combines storytelling, modern folk imagery, and vibrant colour. Inspired by nature and human connection, she creates expressive paintings and large-scale public artworks that transform everyday spaces into imaginative, meaningful experiences. Her work spans national and international projects, bringing art, culture, and community together through murals, installations, and public art.
Strings of Connection: Kingston in Harmony
Artist: Sydney Cox
Inspired by Kingston’s vibrant music scene and the storytelling legacy of The Tragically Hip, this colourful design celebrates music as a universal language. Flowing colours, rhythmic patterns, and abstract forms inspired by the city’s waterfront and skyline reflect the joy, creativity, and sense of belonging that music inspires, inviting viewers to celebrate the connections that unite our community.
Guitar Sponsor:
The Langlois Family
Learn more about the artist
Sydney Cox
A 12-year-old artist from Inverary, Ontario, and founder of heARTspire, she has been creating acrylic paintings since the age of four. Since launching her business in 2023, she has shared and sold her artwork through local markets and her online shop. Through her art and entrepreneurial journey, she hopes to inspire others—especially young people—to pursue their passions, embrace creativity, and believe that no dream is too big to achieve.
Strummer in The City
Artist: Caitlin Ball
Strummer in The City is a celebration of the life and legacy of Zal Yanovsky, member of The Lovin' Spoonful, restaurateur, and beloved family member. Zal was an integral part of The Lovin' Spoonful, who in the 1960s pioneered the folk-rock movement and influenced other renowned artists, like The Beatles and Paul McCartney. On the front, a portrait of Zal sits nestled in a spoon surrounded by colourful and nourishing meals. On the back is Zal's Hall of Fame signature as well as a sweet portrait of Zal and his daughter, Zoe, who now keeps the legacy of Chez Piggy, Pan Chancho, and her father alive.
Guitar Sponsors:
Chez Piggy Restaurant & Pan Chancho Bakery
Learn more about the artist
Caitlin Ball
is a South Frontenac-based multimedia artist whose vibrant work celebrates community, connection, and the natural beauty of the region. At just 17 years old, she has already earned multiple awards through the Youth Imagine the Future art competition and completed public art commissions, including a large-scale mural north of Kingston. Inspired by the people and landscapes around her, Caitlin creates colourful, uplifting artwork that reflects and strengthens the communities she calls home.
The Constellation Heartbeat: One Star at a Time
Artist: Cher Reynolds
This guitar sculpture transforms music into a symbol of collective memory, heritage, and connection. Inspired by Kingston’s historic architecture and The Tragically Hip’s lasting legacy, the piece features a textured charcoal and stone-grey background representing the city’s limestone character. A flowing gold leaf current, musical stave, handwritten lyric calligraphy, and heartbeat line rise across the guitar, symbolizing the enduring energy of live music and the impact of the band’s final concert.
Guitar Sponsor:
University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF)
Learn more about the artist
Cher Reynolds
Fine Artist specializing in large-scale abstract painting, complex structural textures, and mixed-media metallic elements.
Wiggle Your Hip
Artist: Tammy Leonard
This electric ‘stratocaster’ replica art guitar has been finished in a passionate purple theme, with pink sparkles on the sides in a nod to Gord Downie’s pink ‘star’ frontman suit. Each of the stellar band members is featured on the face of the guitar. Look for Gord’s sock neck-scarf around the neck, and one of his peacock feathers on the headstock.
Guitars Sponsors:
Woodenheads and Casa Domenico
Learn more about the artist
Tammy Leonard
A Kingston-based artist, musician, and guitar enthusiast, she draws inspiration from Canadian and European masters, creating visually engaging works rooted in a lifelong passion for art. For Play Me Kingston, she will bring her love of music and visual storytelling to two custom 3-foot guitar sculptures, combining her experience as a painter, guitarist, and guitar builder to create unique public art pieces. Her painting Hoople Island earned First Place at the 2026 Friends of Fulford Place Foundation Juried Art Show. Beyond painting, she is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and collector who continues to blend her passions for music and visual art through her creative practice.
The Sponsors Who Made It Possible
Play Me Kingston is made possible through the incredible support of our sponsors and community partners who believe in the power of art, music, and public spaces to bring people together.
Produced by
Downtown Kingston BIA, representing +700 Downtown property and business owners.
