PUBLIC ART
In 2024 we continued putting processes into place to manage the volume of projects that are in the works, some of which were started, or envisioned, before the program was transferred to Calgary Arts Development. A growing team of public art specialist is in place including the new public art director, a manager, two program lead supervisors, a coordinator and many contract curators and project leads.
In September 2024, Kirsten Schrader was hired as the new Director, Public Art for Calgary Arts Development. Kirsten has dedicated her career to being a cultural leader and champion for the arts. She has held leadership roles in both non-profit and municipal environments. More information about Kirsten can be found here.
Photo: Amanda Dams
Throughout 2024 we continued to work closely with The City of Calgary Arts & Culture Business Unit as well as with various other business units to build relationships. We hired a communications specialist for public art and continued developing communication channels like the public art section of the Calgary Arts Development website and an online application platform for public artists to apply to our Calls to Artists and programs.
Additionally, we launched and ran several projects and programs, including:
CADA put out a call for seven artists to create original artworks that would each wrap a public transit bus in the fall of 2024. A diverse group of local artists was selected who creating a new artwork to share stories of their community and themselves. This design opportunity is a wonderful chance for artists to step into the realm of public art, have their artworks produced at a scale that covers the outside of a city bus, and travel throughout the city bringing joy to citizens in every ward. This project was popular with artists and the public, so we put out a call at the end of 2024 for the next iteration of the Art Bus program, with the new buses scheduled to be on the roads in June, 2025. More information can be found here.
The Art for Social Change Residency took place for a year leading up to a final presentation at the 2024 Living a Creative Life Congress. This artist residency program was a way to create space and time for artists to explore new ideas, investigate different ways of making, or experiment. It connected artists working in public space on social change, and brought them together as a cohort. Due to the overwhelming success and palpable need for this type of investment into an artist’s practice, we have launched the next artist residency focused on sustainable futures. More information can be found here.
The Centre City Banner Program engages local artists to create artwork for banners displayed on light poles and bridges leading into the city core, acting as gateways to Calgary’s downtown and cultural district. Artists develop original artworks that consider the different characteristics of Calgary, and celebrate our cultures, communities, histories, geography and diversity. Artists are selected by an independent jury. Display periods last for approximately one year. More information can be found here.
In 2024 we started engagement within Chinatown to help inform the Chinatown Public Art Plan. This plan is a community-informed strategy that outlines a long-term vision for public art in Calgary’s Chinatown. It will complement the Chinatown Cultural and Next Steps plans and reflect the cultural values, stories and aspirations of the community. Through extensive community engagement, the plan will identify opportunities for future artworks, preferred forms and themes, and potential funding pathways. More information can be found here.
Recognizing that public art opportunities can come from grassroots ideas that are initiated and led by communities, this program invites proposals for community-run public art projects. It is open to community-run organizations who apply for funding to hire local artists and create public art in their neighbourhoods. More information can be found here.
In December 2024, after a rigorous international search and thorough assessment, we announced artist collective Sans façon (Charles Blanc & Tristan Surtees) as the lead artist for the Memorial Parkway Public Art Project. Sans façon joined the design team to support their investigation into how public art can be integrated into the flood mitigation happening along Memorial Drive. More information can be found here.
In 2024 we partnered with the National accessArts Centre for a year-long program through our Open Spaces program; a program is designed to reduce barriers faced by underserved communities. NaAC programed artworks in window spaces adjacent to the Centre Street CTrain station platform over the span of the partnership. Not only does this program give access to exhibition space for equity-deserving artists, it also helps us understand the needs of underrepresented artists so we can learn and adapt our programs. In 2024 we ended our exhibition term with the National accessArts Centre and started a year term with the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation (ICAI). More information can be found here.
In 2020 City Council passed a motion dedicating funding to public art in the NE based on historically low community investment in that quadrant. In 2024 we ran our first call for artists since taking over the program. We selected curators from our roster to develop a curatorial vision for their exhibition period and select artworks from the open call that fit within that vision. Displaying 13 artworks in 10 community associations in the Northeast of Calgary and three within the municipal building, downtown. More information can be found here.
One of the requirements of Calgary Arts Development’s public art contract is to activate the existing public art collection. Hundreds of pieces in the permanent collection are inaccessible to the public as they are being restored or cycled through circulation. Curators identify pieces that can be shown on digital billboards throughout Calgary and particularly in neighbourhoods that do not currently have permanent public artworks installed. More information can be found here.
In 2024 we hosted a series of professional development workshops designed for artists and members of community groups and commissioning bodies who would like to learn what it takes to create a successful public art project. These workshops were designed to demystify the public art process in all phases of development – applications, budgets, community engagement, fabrication and more. More information can be found here.
This was a new public artwork by the artist collective Broken City Lab that invited Calgarians to connect to the Bow River. The public was invited to phone a number to hear the Bow River’s rushing, gurgling and babbling voice on the other end of the line. More information can be found here.
After many twists and turns along the way, the long-awaited Chinatown murals by Jarett Sitter were installed in the summer of 2024. The project included three colourful panels that were mounted on exterior walls in the community – two at Pho City (207 1 Street SE) and one at the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association (138 4 Avenue SE). The artworks were inspired by consultation with members of the Chinatown community and Elders from the Stoney Nakoda and Siksika Nations. More information can be found here.
The first iteration of CADA’s Utility Box Program piloted a grant for community associations to hire local artists, work with community, and create artworks on utility boxes. This program is evolving to address the needs of the community and will be adapted to benefit artists and residents. More information can be found here.
The City Hall School program invites classrooms to spend a week at City Hall, learning about how our city works and meeting City representatives from a variety of departments. Teachers work with the City Hall School Instructor to select City departments that line up with their curriculum. During the 2024 school year, CADA’s Public Art team was asked to participate in 9 classrooms. The classroom presentations consisted of a brief introduction to CADA and the public art program, presented by the project lead, and an artist talk and activity presented and developed by a local public artist. Due to the increased demand and success of this program, it will be expanded in 2025 and accessible to more schools.
North Central Bus Rapid Transit project integrating multiple artworks to the transit corridor on Centre Street N from downtown up to the North Pointe Park and Ride. The intent was for the shelters to be consistent across the city, with public art printed into the glass at each station. The last installation will be completed in the spring of 2025.
In 2024, CADA organized a series of artist talks intended to fill a gap in independent artist-focused public speaker events in the city. The first was with d.talks, a collective that has been hosting art and design focused workshops and conferences in Calgary since 2013. CADA supported their June 2024 event about “how the power of art and placemaking bring us closer to the cities and sites we love.” In November, CADA supported an Artist Talk at AUArts with Artist Karen Tan and Curator Henry Heng Lu to discuss her exhibition Sea of Clouds at IKG and her recent public art installation in Richmond BC. And throughout the Fall, CADA funded The Alcove Arts Centre’s series of panel discussions asking how interactions with the public can inform an artist’s work.