Looking through the glass: Four Seasons in Silver Heights Peony Garden

The Valley Line Southeast LRT project is adding a splash of colour and texture to communities along the route thanks to the City’s Percent for Art Policy which is managed by the Edmonton Arts Council. 

The Valley Line Southeast LRT project’s public art collection will include 14 different projects including art glass at five of the eleven stops and at Davies Station, five stop canopy sculptures, one mosaic, one series of paintings and one inflatable sculpture. Additional opportunities for artists to get involved in Valley Line Public Art are yet to be announced. 

Individual artists, organizations and collectives submitted 260 submissions for the public art opportunities along the 13 km LRT route. Each submission was reviewed by selection committees made up of community members, local artist representatives, project personnel and City of Edmonton staff. The commissions were awarded to four Edmonton-based artists, three Alberta-based artists, one international artist, one Indigenous artist team and one Métis artist. 

The majority of the chosen artists proposed engaging with the local community to refine their concepts and build stronger connections between the residents and the new artistic addition to their community. At the Bonnie Doon Stop, local students’ love for their community is on full display along with a nod to a unique piece of the area’s past. 

Let’s take a closer look at the art glass installed on the shelter walls at the Bonnie Doon Stop.

Installed by TransEd​’s crews in December 2020, Four Seasons in Silver Heights Peony Garden was created by local artist Oksana Movchan.

Movchan’s inspiration for the art glass comes from the Silver Heights Peony Garden which was a major tourist attraction in the Bonnie Doon area from the 1920s until the 1940s. The garden grew over 200 varieties of peonies, despite the belief that Edmonton’s climate was too cold for such delicate flowers. In Four Seasons in Silver Heights Peony Garden, the peonies are depicted in various states of growth, like they would have been throughout the seasons at the Silver Heights Peony Garden.

Movchan engaged with the community to create the piece. She approached Rutherford Elementary School, located in the Bonnie Doon neighbourhood, to collaborate on the project. ​“Students from grade 1 – 5 wrote short stories about what is special and exciting for them about the area they live in,” explained Movchan when asked about the community engagement process. “[Quotes] ended up being part of the composition.” 

The short stories touched on making friends, learning from their teachers, exploring the nearby Mill Creek Ravine, and how the community is welcoming to everyone. There are quotes in both English and French as the Bonnie Doon neighbourhood is home to a number of Franco-Albertans, La Cite Francophone, and University of Alberta Campus St. Jean. 

Movchan endeavoured to pay homage to the strength of the human spirit, which despite difficult circumstances, can rise and grow real beauty, just like the 200 varieties of peonies at the Silver Heights Peony Garden overcame the cold Edmonton climate and flourished. 

“I hope that commuters and the community will enjoy feeling surrounded by the beauty of the Silver Heights Peony Garden while waiting for the train,” said Movchan. 

Representing both the past and the present, the Bonnie Doon Stop art glass will be one of many public art installations that highlight the history of the surrounding community. 

The Valley Line Southeast project will be Edmonton’s first low-floor LRT, connecting communities from Mill Woods to Downtown. Can’t wait to see it in person? Edmontonians can take a stroll along the new shared-use path by Bonnie Doon Mall to see the art before the Valley Line Southeast opens for passenger service. Share your photos with us on social media using #YEGPublicArt.