Public Art Update

​Lethbridge is home to an impressive and ever-growing collection of public art, and the City's Public Art program has been incredibly busy with the completion of multiple projects over the past year.   

Here are some highlights from a few of those completed projects:

Unreality

Third avenue got a little bit brighter after the completion of Lethbridge's newest public art piece, a vibrant mural. The mural Unreality is located on the west side of the Backyard Leisure building, 1252 3 Avenue South.

The mural comes from a partnership between both the public and private sector as the project was jointly funded by the City's Public Art Program and Backyard Leisure.

The artist, Kylie Fineday, combined various viewpoints from across Lethbridge and southern Alberta to create a new, fantastical landscape. Celebrating an appreciation for what nature has to offer, Unreality induces dreamlike wonder with lively teal, purple, pink, and orange in a scene that feels familiar and extraordinary at the same time.

The New Nature

This summer the City also saw the completion of Lethbridge's first mosaic installation. The piece is titled The New Nature and was installed on the exterior and covered shelter wall of the Legacy Park Picnic Shelter.

The artist, Susan Day created and installed thousands of handmade ceramic and mirrored tiles to create a complicated mosaic, filled with human silhouettes and birds spread throughout, hoping visitors reflect further on their relationship with nature and their community.

This project also included a mentorship component for the first time with Day mentoring an emerging Lethbridge-based artist Michelle Sylvestre, who will create a companion piece in the coming year.

Hinode

Located at the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden Bunka Centre the wooden art sculpture titled Hinode, beautifully fuses together Canadian and Japanese cultures.  

Artist Takashi Iwasaki used Canadian lumber and the Japanese woodworking methods Kumiko (interlocking lattice) and Magewappa (wood bending) to create simplified forms resembling shapes including the Rocky Mountains and sugar beets that are filled with Japanese patterns.

Public art builds a visually rich environment, plays a role in attracting creative businesses and workers to our city, provides arts opportunities that are freely accessible to all, and encourages the growth of a culturally-informed public. Public art creates a distinct and vibrant legacy for the residents of Lethbridge.

To find out more about Lethbridge Public Art visit: https://www.publicartlethbridge.ca.