Kathryn Pearce
Artist Kathryn Pearce brings people together through art and placemaking
A longtime champion of the arts in the city, visual artist Kathryn Pearce is the executive director of Maude Collective and a project manager with the City of Calgary Main Streets program. Her interest in making meaningful spaces that people want to be in is apparent in her work with public art, placemaking and community building.
Pearce studied design and architecture, but has always considered herself an artist first, and now she brings all those influences to her creative practice. “A lot of it does come from bringing people together and often that is very artful in nature…. So I feel like that’s how it has kind of come full picture with me, that art, design, architecture, and then kind of is all encapsulated in the idea of basically placemaking,” she says.
Pearce says the Maude Collective was formed with the intention of turning an old empty space that once housed Bud’s Office Furniture into a maker space. When that didn’t happen, the collective shifted gears and kept going. “A lot of it became about, like, coming together, transforming the spaces that we were presented with. making art, talking about art, showcasing art, and then kind of like building these like social connections and community along the way,” she says.
As a project manager with the City’s Main Streets program, Pearce’s role involves both public art and placemaking. “I think like one of the biggest things about public art is that it is artwork that is created by an artist or a practicing artist and they have like a vision for the piece and a vision for the artwork. I think with placemaking it can be a little more organic and a little broader who steps up and participates with it,” she says.
“It can be any individual, any background, as long as you can wield a paintbrush and you want to see something cool for your neighbourhood…. But at its core, it’s a transformative process that’s transforming a place to be a space that people actually want to go to and want to linger in.”
Tune into our Storytelling Podcast to hear more from Kathryn Pearce about bringing people together through art and placemaking.
About The Storytelling Podcast
Sharing diverse stories of creativity in our city, The Storytelling Podcast shines a spotlight on artists and projects that connect Calgarians to the arts. Part of The Storytelling Project, this series raises awareness about Calgarians who, by living creative lives, are making Calgary a better city, affecting positive change and enriching others’ lives.
Have a story to share? Email us at submissions@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.
