60 Years of Public Art in Edmonton!
... and 2017 Wrap Up

 

It all began with a “spaghetti tree”. When Edmonton city planners commissioned The Migrants for the 1957 incarnation of City Hall, they sparked a lively six-decade conversation.

The bronze sculpture, which remains as one of 64 artworks at City Hall, formed the kernel of a collection that now contains 239 artworks by 302 artists. Of that, nearly 70% of the artists are local (or were at the time of selection). Our collection spans a myriad of mediums rendered in ancient techniques like mosaic as well as cutting-edge 21st century technology.
 
The City of Edmonton implemented Policy C458c, Percent to Encourage and Provide Art in Public Areas – aka “Percent for Art” – 25 years ago, in order to ensure the 1992 City Hall would contain artworks by, for, and about Edmontonians. The Migrants – then temporarily slated for “retirement” – was re-installed on the west side of the building following an outcry from citizens saying they would miss the iconic artwork. Since then, the City of Edmonton Public Art Collection has grown exponentially. City projects – including LRT, recreation centres, police and fire stations, parks, streetscapes, renovations, bridges, libraries, sports facilities, transit centres (to name a few) – are catalysts for new artistic visions that continue to animate our conversations.

In 2017, the Edmonton Arts Council Public Art team installed six new artworks and are managing more than 20 new and ongoing projects. The Conservation team repaired, cleaned, and maintained dozens of artworks including restoration of the Norman Yates mural. The EAC was honoured to receive recognition from Americans for the Arts (Public Art Network Year in Review – Amiskwacîw Wâskâyhkan Ihtâwin, Destiny Swiderski); Creative City Network of Canada (Public Art Award of Excellence – Tsa Tsa Ke K’e [Iron Foot Place], Alex Janvier) and the Edmonton Urban Design Awards (Award of Excellence, Urban Fragments - Amiskwacîw Wâskâyhkan Ihtâwin, Destiny Swiderski; Award of Merit, Urban Fragments – Tsa Tsa Ke K’e [Iron Foot Place], Alex Janvier; Award of Merit, Community Projects - #YEGCanvas in partnership with Pattison Outdoor Advertising, various artists).
 
2018 promises to be just as busy! Read on for profiles of the new art; join us in the new year for previews of Calder Library, ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞, Tawatinâ Bridge and more.

Turbulent is inspired by the swirling forms, and twisting, turning shapes that appear along the edges of water currents. Located within the seating area north of the Promenade portion adjacent to the funicular, the integrated art installation adds a simple sculptural layer to the linear concrete benches within the area. The installation offers a unique and playful opportunity for pedestrians to pause, sit, lounge, have a face to face conversation with a friend or even experience a chance meeting with a stranger.

Turbulent consists of thin ribbons of vibrantly painted metal floating above the flat upper concrete bench surfaces: rippling, curving and undulating dynamically along their length to create a secondary inhabitable layer for people that is distinctly different in character from the architectural forms of the rest of the Mechanized Access project. The ribbons are painted a brilliant turquoise colour on their upper side and a softer hue on their base side to increase the three dimensionality of the installation, and also help make this seating area a dynamic and visible focal point for visitors.
 

About the Artist
Jill Anholt Studio Inc. is a creative practice based in Vancouver, BC that is focused on the creation of art in public places. Its founder and principal, Jill Anholt established the practice in 1998. Jill has won numerous competitions for commissions to create artworks in a variety of public spaces throughout North America. Her work has received many national and international awards and has been published in books, magazines and newspapers around the world. Jill has been an invited speaker at educational institutions and creative conferences in cities across Canada and the US and was also invited to serve on the Urban Design Awards jury for the City of Edmonton in 2013.

Current projects include two of the largest integrated public art works ever built in Canada within the new design of Lansdowne Park in Ottawa including both a sculptural work with a programmable digital surface (Moving Surfaces) and an interactive water-based work currently under construction (Uplift). Jill also recently completed the installation of a series of iconically scaled integrated works for a new park along Toronto’s waterfront. The work, entitled Light Showers, which contains a lighting component activated by user movement, is highly visible from Lake Ontario, the Gardiner Expressway and many other points distant to the site. The sculptures have become a notable marker in the city that both express Toronto’s sustainable aspirations and form a highly visible gateway to the newly envisioned waterfront. Along with her artistic practice, Jill is also an Instructor at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver and a Public Art Strategist who has created Public Art Master Plans for a number of new developments and facilities in both Canada and the United States.