Public art tour: Mayor Amarjeet Sohi

As part of a new series on the EAC blog, we’ve asked a handful of notable Edmontonians to create their very own public art tours using the new tour function on the EAC website. 

To kick things off, City of Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi takes us on a city-wide tour of his favourite public art pieces: 

“My favourite thing about public art in Edmonton is that no matter where you are in our city, you have the opportunity to encounter it. You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy the sculptures, paintings, murals, and installations that are right in your neighbourhood. By investing in art that all Edmontonians can access, we are also investing in our culture and shared values. Whether you are at a public library, rec centre, waiting for a bus or train, or walking in a park, our public art is there for you to reflect on and appreciate. 

One piece that I picked is Wheatfield With Crows by Konstantin Dimopoulos. It sits outside the front entrance of the Meadows Recreation Centre and always brings me joy when I see kids and families interacting with it. I hope my tour inspires more Edmontonians to seek out public art in a part of the city they are less familiar with and create new memories there.” 

1. Afghan Mural by Instant Coffee
   2012 // Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre
   Afghan Mural is a large photographic mural/​sculpture with a structure based on typical, rotating, commercial advertising billboards. Each side of the rotating wall mural depicts one special Afghan blanket.
   
   
2. iskotew by Amy Malbeuf
   2018 // INIW River Lot 11
   iskotew is a sculptural representation of the word ​“fire” in nehiyawewin (Cree language) syllabics: ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ. The nehiyawewin word for woman, iskwew, is derived from the word fire, therefore; iskotew connotes the sacred abilities of women, and the often-unrecognized labours of Indigenous women who contributed to creating the place now known as Edmonton.
   
   
   
3. Tsa Tsa Ke K’e — Iron Foot Place by Alex Janvier
   2016 // Rogers Place Arena – Ford Hall
   Created by acclaimed Canadian abstract painter Alex Janvier, the 1500 square foot smalti mosaic celebrates Edmonton’s Indigenous community and history; the area’s role as a gathering place over many millennia; and the city’s stunning natural setting.
   
   
4. Pillars of the Community by Layla Folkmann and Lacey Jane Wilburn
   2016 // LRT vent
   Pillars of the Community mirrors the diversity of Edmonton’s population and its realities. Placed close to Rogers Place Arena, this artwork is intended to celebrate “…the unsung heroes, the daily faces, the less heard or under-praised that make up the majority of Edmonton society.” 
   
   
5. The Magpies’ Nests by Kevin Sehn and Chai Duncan
   2018 // Rossdale Linear Park
   The Magpies’ Nests considers the complex interactions between humans and nature as well as the concept of ​“home”. The welded steel nests on top of the plinths relate to structures found in Edmonton: the pyramid references the Muttart Conservatory; the cube stands in for local industrial buildings relating to ideas of innovation and productivity; the pentagonal prism, or house ‑shape, represents dwellings found the surrounding community; the sphere represents the magpie’s own expertly built domed nest. 
   
   
6. Wheatfield With Crows by Konstantin Dimopoulos
   2014 // The Meadows Community Recreation Centre
   Wheatfield with Crows greets visitors to the Meadows Recreation Centre with a display evocative of Alberta’s agricultural fields. Coloured in golden brown and yellow hues, the rods move with the wind, imparting the effect of a gently waving field of wheat or grass.
   
   
7. Alberta Avenue Benches by Various Artists
   2012 // Alberta Avenue (118 Ave between 79^th-96^th Street)
   Along Alberta Avenue 29 concrete benches line the avenue as art elements for the streetscape. Artists from Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan were invited to submit images to be laser etched in granite panels that were to be inset into the concrete benches.
   
   
8. Neighbourhood Benches by Becki Chan
   2014 // Highlands Library
   Artist Becki Chan was inspired by the Highlands Library’s architecture as well as the heritage of the surrounding community to create this ​“mini neighbourhood.” The installation playfully interacts with the scale of the library and the large elm tree, all the while providing seating that encourages a variety of individual and group activities.
   
   
9. A Mischief of Could Be(s) by Erin Pankratz and Christian Peres Gibaut (Red Knot Studio)
   2021 // Sir Winston Churchill Square (East Garden)
   This installation consists of five standing sculptures inspired by how children freely interpret and imagine the world through play. The tree-like quality suggests the idea of a magical forest, while the ambiguity of the gestural forms allows for other interpretations, such as tentacles, snakes, arms, etc.
   
   
10. Heart Beat of a Nation by Brad Crowfoot
    2019 // City Hall
    Heartbeat of a Nation honours Edmonton’s connection with the First Peoples of this land. Treaty 6 is outlined over the provincial boundary map of present-day Alberta to illustrate the spans of these ancestral lands. 

You can access the Mayor’s tour here to download a copy of the map. 

Want to make your own public art tour? You can explore the collection and create your public art tour by following these simple steps. 

1. On the EAC website, select See All in the Public Art section of the menu.
2. Select an artwork from the collection by clicking the pin-drop icon. This will add the artwork to your tour.
3. You can also select artworks on the map to create a tour within a neighbourhood or ward. 
4. Once you’ve selected the art for your tour, click ​“Build your tour” at the top of the page. 
5. If you want, you can enter a start and end location. 
6. You then have the option to download a PDF of the tour, share the tour, and open your tour in Google Maps.