Three new public art installations to discover this summer

Keep a look out for three fascinating new community inspired public art installations coming to Edmonton this summer!

An engaging mural by Coda Girvan wrapping the washroom facility at Castle Downs Park takes inspiration from the community. Local artist Emily Chu’s bold and colourful murals of native plants are brightening the exteriors of three soccer centres in the north, south and west ends of the city. Marigold Santos’ botanical motifs adorn the windows of the Millbourne/​Woodvale LRT stop, reflecting the importance of gardening as a unifying activity for many. Read on to learn more about these new works that are infusing the city with more vibrancy and character. 

Community Windows by Coda Girvan at Castle Downs Park (11930 153 Avenue NW)

Colourful murals by local Métis artist Coda Girvan are currently in progress. The murals on all four sides of the Castle Downs Park Public Washroom Facility highlight the playful spirit of the park, drawing inspiration from stories shared by people in the community. 

According to Coda, the primary goal of their artwork is to bring joy to others:​“As a child, growing up, I always felt strong emotions towards mural art, and was captivated by it. So, it has always been a lifelong dream to create art for my community. Public art keeps art accessible to everyone, which is important to me.” 

Come out and connect with the artist! We’ll be joining in the fun at Youth Day at Castle Downs Park in celebration Coda Girvan’s new mural on August 9, from 11 am to 4 pm. Click here for the event details.

Versus mural series by Emily Chu at three Edmonton Soccer Centre locations (South — 6520 Roper Road NW; West — 17415 106a Avenue NW; East — 12720 Victoria Trail NW)

Local artist Emily Chu is a Chinese illustrator, visual artist, and community organizer. Emily’s new mural series, Versus depicts floral forms exploring contained spaces throughout the seasons. The artist decided to work with wildflowers local to the area, representing strength, resilience, and growth by numbers. The movements of these wildflowers grow, adapt, and interact with one another, as well as their containers. Inspired by team sports, the desire was to capture the energy and movements through playful interaction and competition. The container shapes are inspired by both the architecture and the lines and arcs from soccer fields. 

The three locations explore different types of interactions: the South murals focus on play; the East murals focus on contrast and tension, representing competition; and the West mural is a more intimate reflection of growth and potential. 

of sustenance (heartening, ever-reaching, embraces between dawn and dusk) by Marigold Santos at the Valley Line South East Millbourne/​Woodvale stop (on the east side of 66 Street, north of 38 Avenue NW)

Calgary-based Filipinx-Canadian artist Marigold Santos is known for work that examines the lived experience of immigration through themes of identity and culture. In addition to her mixed media work, Santos is a tattoo artist who interprets her heritage through drawings of folklore from the Philippines. 

of sustenance (heartening, ever-reaching, embraces between dawn and dusk) is a multi-sectional installation comprised of abstracted botanical vinyl drawings installed on the glass shelters at the Millbourne/​Woodvale LRT stop. Marigold said, ​“After many conversations with community members familiar with the use of the LRT stations, as well as participating in the land based teaching with Dr. Dwayne Donald, I settled upon making work that revolved around how food systems bring communities together. Acknowledging what grows naturally in Treaty 6 territory, specifically in amiskwacîwâskahikan, I created four groupings of drawings, based on the flowers, leaves, stems, and fruit of the gooseberry plant, the highbush cranberry plant, the chokecherry plant, and the saskatoon berry plant. Studying the different parts of these plants and highlighting their specific characteristics allowed me to create winding and interconnected designs that speak of growth, tenderness, beauty, nourishment, and community. The ongoing ability of these plants to provide sustenance over many generations of the past, the present, and into the future, create a perennial strengthening of body, mind, and spirit, that encourages us to remember and honour the land and the natural world around us. To be surrounded by these steadfast plants portrayed in a spectrum of colors inspired by the transition of light in the sky, my hope is for these shelters to contribute a sense of gratitude and care for the land of which we commute on, we work on, and live on.”