What’s coming up in public art in 2026

2026 is going to be a monumental year in public art with 10 new pieces anticipated to be installed this year! Along with previously announced pieces by Sanaz Mazinani for the new downtown O’day-min Park and Alma Visscher’s artwork at the Orange Hub, Edmonton will soon be home to new works by some exceptional local and national artists. 

Read on to learn more about some of the artists behind several new public art commissions coming to Edmonton in 2026. 

Shaheer Zazai: Gerry Wright OMF 

Selected artist: Shaheer Zazai
Public art project site: Gerry Wright Operations and Maintenance Facility, 7315 51 Avenue
Anticipated project install date: March 2026

Toronto-based Afghan-Canadian artist Shaheer Zazai was selected to create a mural design that will soon be installed on the south exterior wall of the Gerry Wright Operations and Maintenance Facility. His current studio practice focuses on painting and digital media, and he often uses Microsoft Excel to create artwork. 

The design of this public artwork incorporates vines and flowers as symbols of growth, unity, and resilience. The vines mimic transit systems, highlighting how transportation networks function like root systems, connecting and nourishing communities. Flowers represent the blossoming of community and shared aspirations, while the intertwining vines emphasize the strength found in staying connected. Together, they create a visual narrative of interconnectedness, collaboration, and flourishing relationships. 

Cheyenne Rain Legrande ᑭᒥᐊᐧᐣ: Hawrelak Park

Selected artist: Cheyenne Rain Legrande ᑭᒥᐊᐧᐣ
Public art project site: Hawrelak Park
Anticipated project install date: May 2026

Hawrelak Park is set to reopen, and it will be the home of new public art by Nehiyaw Isko artist Cheyenne Rain LeGrande ᑭᒥᐊᐧᐣ. Hailing from Bigstone Cree Nation, Cheyenne’s work often explores history, knowledge, and traditional practices. Through the use of her body and language, she speaks to the past, present, and future. Bringing her ancestors with her, she moves through installation, photography, video, sound, and performance art. 

Cheyenne is creating a 14′ tall, beaded earring made of colourfully painted fibreglass. According to the artist, ​“the beaded earring to me represents an Indigenous future. Indigenous people have had a long history with beads and beadwork. The beaded earring is a contemporary beadwork and is a celebration of our stunning fashion. I wanted to take the delicate tiny beads we normally see and enlarge them. This transformation pushes the bead into another realm. I wanted to include the colors of the rainbow in honour of pride and my queer identity.” 

Stay tuned for details about the park’s grand re-opening celebration on May 30, 2026. 

Stewart Steinhauer: Strathcona County Footbridge

Selected artist: Stewart Steinhauer
Public art project site: Strathcona County Footbridge, linking Strathcona County (Township Road 540) with the City of Edmonton (167 Avenue)
Anticipated project install date: Summer 2026

The new Strathcona County Footbridge connects Edmonton and Strathcona County along the Great Trail of Canada. Stewart Steinhauer has been selected to create two sculptures that will bookend the bridge. 

Stewart is a self-taught Cree carver from Saddle Lake First Nation who picked up carving in 1973 after the birth of his first child. He uses a ​“direct” method of carving, using natural stone, and listening to the stone spirit as his source of inspiration. 

A carved statue of a bear titled Blue Grizzly will be located on the Edmonton side of the bridge, while Two Souls Touching will be installed on the Strathcona County side. Created from granite quarried from the west coast of Norway, both sculptures will be adorned with petroglyphs carved into the artworks. 

“Hundreds of millions of years ago, the west coast of Norway and the east coast of Turtle Island were joined together, and the same granite naturally occurs on the east coast of Labrador and the west coast of Norway,” explains Steinhauer. ​“I’m using this specific granite type to represent the fact that we humans are just one family. There’s just one Mother Earth, and she is the great mother to all of us little pesky humans.” 

Susan Day: 103A Avenue and 99 Street Pedway

Selected artist: Susan Day
Public art project site: 103A Avenue and 99 Street pedway
Anticipated project install date: October 2026

London, Ontario-based artist Susan Day has been hard at work on a new public art mosaic for the 103A Avenue and 99 Street Pedway. For the project, Susan has been working with eight artists from the Nina Haggarty Arts Centre. The installation is anticipated for October 2026. 

Susan Day has an extensive exhibition and installation history as an artist working in ceramic, straddling the worlds of fine art and contemporary craft. Through her work, Susan has experienced the power of public (or public facing) art to create meeting places and instill pride and ownership in neighbourhoods and places where communities meet. 

Stay tuned for more news on the additional upcoming public art projects to be installed later in 2026 and beyond: 

• O’day-min Park: Sanaz Mazinani
• Orange Hub parkade: Alma Visscher
• 107 Avenue Streetscape Improvements project: AJA Louden and Michelle Campos Castillo
• Zoie Gardner Park: Heraa Khan
• Mary Burlie Park: Titilope Sonuga, Naomi McIlwraith, and Cui Jinzhe
  
• ArtsHub Ortona: Byori Seo