The parks and recreation committee endorsed the public art project by Hugh McRoberts students and Richmond artist Jasmine Reimer Tuesday evening.
The art students met with Reimer earlier this year to design a concept for the piece, which will be placed behind the school as part of the city's community public art program.
"I think artists like to explore with student groups," said public art planner Eric Fiss.
"These are our future artists so we like working with them."
Reimer's previous work takes every day items and blows them up into large-scale sculptures. She has met with the students to teach them the techniques of art casting and how to prepare rubber models.
"The project is going to use school items that help students connect to their daily lives," said Fiss.
The proposed concept would use a locker motif, making a bench look like a horizontal, brightly coloured locker door, propped up by metal supports.
Each bench would have a sculptural rendition of a school item, such as the bench titled "Lunch Locker" with an oversized lunch bag and apple on one end.
In "Library Locker", stacks of books replace the metal supports, as the yellow door lies across them.
The public art program creates opportunities for collaborative art projects between community groups and professional artists. The program has allocated $15,000 for this project from the existing funds in the 2011 public art capital project.
"The program brings beauty and vitality to the city," said Fiss. "It forces people to stop and ask questions about the environment around them and enter into a cultural conversation."
McRoberts had been approved for the project two years ago when it first submitted its name, but the process was delayed due to job action.
"The students were really interested in (Reimer's) hands-on approach, and the way she made things," said Fiss. "They really connected with her."
The committee's endorsement means the project will go before full council on April 8. Then it moves into the design and fabrication phase, with implementation scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2013.
