Billboards took Calgary’s Civic Art Collection to the Streets
Imagine driving down Bow Trail and catching a glimpse of a century-old painting instead of another fast-food ad. That was the magic of Calgary Arts Development’s Now Touring: Public Art Billboards project, bringing our city’s art treasures into the everyday commute.
Few Calgarians realize that our city has a remarkable Civic Art Collection housing more than 1,300 pieces of art collected over the past century. This collection includes paintings, textiles, sculptures, ceramics and more, in every size imaginable. While many pieces in the collection can be seen in public libraries, recreation centres and other public buildings, Now Touring: Public Art Billboards offered another way for Calgarians to encounter these artworks in their daily routines.
Art Beyond the Gallery
The project’s goal was simple yet powerful: bring The City of Calgary’s art collection into the public realm, making it accessible to everyone. This initiative brought the Public Art Collection out of storage and into everyday life, raising awareness among Calgarians and supporting the City’s Public Art Department’s stewardship of these artworks through four billboard exhibitions from December 2023 through 2025.
A Century of Commitment to Art
Over 100 years ago, when Calgary’s population was just 65,000 and basic infrastructure like streets, electricity and water systems were still being modernized, our city began building an art collection. This commitment shows that Calgarians have valued art as an essential part of city-building for more than a century.
The collection started in 1911 through donations and has grown into the oldest and most substantial public art collection in Alberta. Much of its historical artwork came from private donors, reflecting a long-standing belief in the importance of art and storytelling in shaping our collective memory.
The Billboard Project
Beginning in December 2023, artworks displayed on billboards have offered Calgarians digital flashes of our cultural heritage. I was recruited as Public Art Lead for this project and then contracted four local curators to select artworks from the collection to be activated in this new way. Four iterations of billboards were displayed over two years, meeting Calgarians where they spend much of their time — on the road.
This program featured 41 digital billboards along major commuter routes, from high-speed trails to main roads. Ten billboards were active at a time for about a month before rotating to a new set of 10 billboards. Each billboard displayed 10 images, shown for six seconds each. A quick view except during rush hour!
Behind the Scenes
Four curators were invited to select artworks related to the theme of their choosing and write a brief text describing their decisions. To truly understand the collection, the curators spent time in the City’s vault with the physical pieces, not just viewing them in a database. Once selections were finalized, my role shifted to detective and archivist, tracking down accurate contact information. Many artists were thrilled to see their work showcased in this way, while for older pieces, connecting with the artists’ descendants added a personal and rewarding dimension for me.
Seeing Art in Unexpected Places
After nearly two years of work on this project, I finally saw the billboards in person! Since I don’t own a car, spotting them wasn’t part of my daily routine. But armed with the online map and schedule, I walked along Bow Trail from the Sunalta CTrain Station to fully experience the billboard up close. Seeing artworks rotating among advertisements was a thrill, a refreshing change from the usual roadside visuals.
Closing Reflections
As the Now Touring: Public Art Billboards program comes to a close, I’m grateful for the chance to collaborate with artists, estates, curators and photographers who benefited from both exposure and fair compensation. This project demonstrates how Calgary Arts Development creatively uses public space to help Calgarians experience art in diverse and meaningful ways.
Your Turn
Want to explore more? Visit calgaryartsdevelopment.com to learn about upcoming public art projects and discover how you can support art in our city.
Photo: Self-portrait by Sharon Stevens.
