Edmonton art receives national award

Edmonton’s public art collection has received new national recognition. On October 7, 2025, two of Edmonton’s most playful public artworks, A Mischief of Could Be(s) and UGO by Edmonton’s Red Knot Studio (Erin Pankratz and Christian Pérès Gibaut), were awarded the Creative City Network’s (CCN) Legacy Award at the 2025 Creative City Impact Awards in Kingston, ON. 

CCN’s Public Art Legacy Award recognizes a Canadian municipality that has demonstrated visionary leadership by supporting an excellent program and process that led to a successful public art project or program. The award highlights the power of public art to enhance connections between people, place and culture. 

“It is an honour to receive the CCN award for A Mischief of Could Be(s) and UGO,” says Renée Williams, Executive Director of the Edmonton Arts Council. ​“This piece is truly magical, representing freedom, play, imagination, and community connection. The Edmonton Arts Council is honoured to have participated in this project working alongside Erin Pankratz and Christian Pérès Gibaut and the City of Edmonton.” 

“We’re incredibly honoured to receive this national recognition,” says artist Erin Pankratz. ​“We poured our hearts into creating artworks that are open, imaginative, and alive with possibility. Both pieces grew from the imaginations of children and the spirit of play, extending an invitation for people of all ages to engage their own creativity. To see that vision recognized through the Creative City Impact Awards is deeply meaningful.” 

Consisting of five standing sculptures, A Mischief of Could Be(s) in Churchill Square draws inspiration from how children interpret and imagine the world through play. The tree-like forms suggest the idea of a magical forest, while inviting other interpretations, such as tentacles, snakes, arms, or stalagmites. UGO, the companion piece in Centennial Plaza, presents a fantastic creature that seems to have come from a collage of children’s imaginations. Both sculptures spark curiosity, encouraging active and imaginative play. 

These artworks were the first child-friendly focused public art projects in the City of Edmonton, created under the guidance of the Child-Friendly Initiative that is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Since the completion of this artwork, child-friendly public artworks have become a priority for the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Arts Council, making multi-generational friendly spaces now part of the selection criteria for new public artworks. 

In recognition of this award and as part of the Edmonton Arts Council’s 300 @ 30 celebrations – commemorating 30 years of the Edmonton Arts Council, and the addition of the 300^th public artwork to the City of Edmonton Public Art Collection – art lovers are invited to Churchill Square and Centennial Plaza on Saturday, October 11 from 3:00 — 5:00 pm for a celebration of these fantastical artworks. Join Mayor Amarjeet Sohi for a special proclamation from the City of Edmonton, meet the artists from Red Knot Studio, and enjoy a fun-filled afternoon with live music, treats, and roving circus performers. 

Join the 300 @ 30 Public Art Celebration in Churchill Square

In recognition of this award and as part of the Edmonton Arts Council’s 300 @ 30 celebrations – commemorating 30 years of the Edmonton Arts Council, and the addition of the 300^th public artwork to the City of Edmonton Public Art Collection – art lovers are invited to Churchill Square and Centennial Plaza on Saturday, October 11 from 3:00 — 5:00 pm for a celebration of these fantastical artworks. Join Mayor Amarjeet Sohi for a special proclamation from the City of Edmonton, meet the artists from Red Knot Studio, and enjoy a fun-filled afternoon with live music, treats, and roving circus performers. More information can be found here.