The Project
The Project
The Northeast Mini Galleries
The Northeast Mini Galleries Public Art Program includes 13 mini galleries, including 10 located at different community associations, and three located downtown inside the Calgary Municipal Building’s atrium. The mini galleries feature 39 artists throughout the year — each exhibition showcases 13 local artists, selected by a local curator, for a four-month period.
History
The Northeast Mini Galleries program started in 2023 as part of the City of Calgary’s Northeast Public Art Initiative. Calgary Arts Development is working with The City of Calgary to transition this successful public art program into our work. This initiative brings several public art projects to Calgary’s northeast communities, supports local artists, enhances northeast neighbourhoods and reflects the people who live in the communities where the art will be located.
This initiative aims to build amazing spaces for people to come together and provides opportunities for local artists to showcase their talent while celebrating the diversity of artforms, people and cultures represented in northeast Calgary.
Are you interested in participating in our public art program? Learn more about current opportunities here.
Current Exhibition
The current Northeast Mini Galleries exhibition runs from November 2024 to February 2025 and was curated by Lindy Pruitt.
Curatorial Statement
Art, at any scale can illuminate shared experiences. It encourages us to recognize the range of human experiences that we share, nurturing a sense of community where viewers and artists are free to interact with familiar spaces in a new way.
Community is one of the common threads linking artworks shown in northeast Calgary as part of this Mini Galleries series. Artists call out to the wider world, inviting us to explore a deeper collective understanding, celebrating (or searching for) a sense of belonging. Each glimpse offered through the eyes of an artist is a nod toward a moment worth appreciating, one that may have been previously overlooked or forgotten, but that strengthens our community through the act of sharing.
The situational nature of light, site and experience is explored through a range of media. Each work presents a lively curiosity about the world that surrounds us, stirring nostalgia or awakening lost memories, rekindling old joys, or soothing buried sorrows.
Energetic tones are balanced with a more subdued sensitivity towards the undercurrents of pain or regret that round out our personal and collective memory, offering a softer sort of record keeping.
Interwoven within the backdrop of day-to-day neighbourhood life, each piece transforms the spaces alongside the arc of each artist’s career. Through the vulnerable gesture of showing work in a public setting, creative practice is drawn to a close in a more meaningful way. However quiet this act of personal daring may seem, each artist stands behind the power of their contribution, building us a bridge to a brighter and more poignant view of ourselves, each other and our community.
— Lindy Pruitt
Artists
The participating artists, artworks and community locations are:
Photo by Leia Guo
Vacant Lots & St. Matthew’s
2024
Relief Print
Location: Rundle Community Association
Move from right to left to view both artworks! Utilizing relief print techniques, this artwork connects the viewer to two northeast views with historical significance. My work is a celebration of the energy and narrative present in the natural world and this print links to an overarching theme: The pathways we travel are determined by our natural and built environments.
Kawasumi (Fall)
2023
Digital Art
Location: Municipal Building Atrium
The Kawasumi is an imagined organic time-telling consumer product from the future.
The multi-functional base acts as housing for the bonsai tree, an operating system for the self-sustained weather system and an entertainment hub.
The bonsai tree has been genetically modified to have a hyper-accelerated life cycle. In relation to the time of day/weather, the plant blooms, grows and sheds foliage as well as reacts to unique weather systems created by the device. Six unique variations have been depicted to show what the product is able to conjure organically in real time (depicted here is the fall variation).
This work was inspired by the traditional almanac, where the year is divided into four major seasons, with 24 solar terms and 72 micro seasons. The artist has reimagined this in their own way by creating a futuristic product that tells time organically through natural processes and unique weather phenomena. Through the sophistication and complexity of the Kawasumi product, one can assume that the creators are technologically advanced, but are rooted in traditional practices and beliefs.
(The symbols and words depicted are a fictional language created by the artist).
Snack Drawer
2024
Digital Art
Location: Marlborough Park Community Association
When I was in elementary school, I had a friend who I highly suspect mainly hung around me for my snacks! My mom kept a drawer that was lined with yellow plaid shelf paper full of tasty snacks. Sometimes the first thing that friend did when she entered my house was pull the drawer handle and check out what new goodies it held. As a child of immigrant parents, the drawer contained snacks that were often found in a typical North American household but also snacks specific to Asian cuisine that weren’t. With globalization and changing times, many of these Asian snacks are much more accessible and coveted than they once were not that long ago.
This illustration is a fun and whimsical re-creation of that snack drawer at my family home in Beddington in the ’90s and early 2000s. It celebrates ethnic diversity in food form as well as the wonders of childhood. Food is a huge part of Asian, and more specifically Chinese, culture. Many say it’s the Chinese way to convey love and care for friends and family. Food is and has been a huge theme in my work. In the illustration, are there some items that you recognize and maybe some that you don’t? Before you leave, I invite you to take one (or a few)!
Portrait of Marcus Garvey
2024
Hand drawn, silk screen print on Stonehenge paper
Location: The Livingston Community Association
Kamika Bianca Guerra-Walker, a Calgary-based multidisciplinary visionary of Jamaican and Chilean heritage, is the RBC 2024 Emerging Artist of the Year. Her work aims to evoke empathy and inspire compassion toward those facing mental illness, addiction and houselessness. As a film director, producer, writer, visual artist, poet and community organizer, Kamika is passionate about expanding her audience’s consciousness.
Her hand-drawn portrait of Marcus Garvey, transformed through printmaking during her 2024 residency with Alberta Printmakers and M:ST Performative Art, is part of her collection “Strikly Konscious.” This series features portraits of historical figures tied to her Jamaican heritage. Black Consciousness — a movement Garvey contributed to during the 1920 Harlem Renaissance — focuses on identity, unity and pride among Black people globally.
By honouring figures like Garvey, Kamika seeks to educate and inspire her community, particularly in northeast Calgary, where she grew up among a vibrant African and Caribbean population. Her unique interpretation of a famous photo of Garvey in military uniform serves a powerful reminder of the pride in our skin colour and cultural history.
The Curious Incident of the Skunk at Dusk
2023
Acrylic
Location: Winston Heights Mountainview Community Association
In this piece, I tried to capture the beauty and symbolism of the often misunderstood and overlooked suburban wildlife that surrounds us in our communities, particularly the types of animals I encounter in my garden each year. The skunk is centred in a stained glass-inspired design, framed by radiant hues of warm light. I sought to infuse playfulness into the work using bright, bold colours, arranged in a harmonious composition that reflects the natural charm of these animals.
Through my art, I aim to explore how the natural world influences and shapes our identities, reminding us that the wildlife in our midst is a fundamental part of our collective experience and environment.
Photo by Leia Guo
Fragile Resistance
2024
Foil cut, lights and motion sensor
Location: Municipal Building Atrium
This mountain view through prairie crocuses is connected to my first memory of seeing Mount Louis and being impressed by the diamond shape and beauty of the mountain. I always dreamed about climbing this sharp and challenging looking peak. To climb the mountain takes a team effort — it builds friendships and reminds us of our mortality and appreciation of every day and every moment.
Just breathe, another deep breath, clear mind and pure connection with nature, wind, rock, and ultimate trust in your partners. We all do our best. Everything can be over in split seconds of falling rocks. Everything is changing and moving, keep moving with the flow. Deep breath. Respect nature and protect the wild places on this planet. Glaciers are pure sources of inspiration and life. We are here to share our passion, stories, and time we have here together.
Prairie crocuses are the flowers reminding me of the fragility and resilience of many on this land. The three figures on the top share the same wild dream. We all are experiencing the fragile resilience when stepping out of our comfort zones.
Autumn’s Reflection
2024
Acrylic on canvas
Location: Falconridge/Castleridge Community Association
As a nature-based artist, deeply connected to the environment, my work continuously strives to evoke a profound appreciation for the natural world. My art often explores themes such as botanical illustrations, landscapes, flyers, and the local birds of Canada. I am committed to capturing the beauty found in everyday life while pushing the boundaries of artistic expression. Reverence for nature stands as one of the pillars of my creative foundation and spending significant time outdoors provides me with endless inspiration to enrich my work.
My artistic journey is a fusion of meticulous strokes and free-flowing spontaneity, creating a tapestry that mirrors the serene yet vibrant spirit of the world around us. One of my recent key pieces, Autumn’s Reflection, features dry maple leaves scattered across dark, almost black water. The leaves appear almost surreal against the deep, mysterious backdrop, their rich colors standing in stark contrast to the darkness below. The water’s surface remains still, reflecting the surrounding environment in a distorted and eerie manner. This creates a sense of mystery and intrigue, inviting the viewer into a scene where reality and abstraction converge.
Photo by Leia Guo
Elk Lakes
2023
Acrylic on wood panel
Location: Martindale Community Association
I’m a visual artist and storyteller from Calgary, Alberta. My life as an artist stems from my love of the mountains. Using acrylic paint, I paint bold, flowing lines to capture the movement in my nearby mountains, mostly featuring scenes from hiking and camping adventures with my family. I strive to capture the boldness and beauty of my home mountains and invoke in others those deep feelings of awe and wonder that constantly move and inspire me.
Woven between my paint lines are the stories that offer insights into why these places are meaningful and what it took to get there, revealing glimpses into some of the vulnerable aspects of living with chronic illness. The dichotomy of beautifully painted mountain scenes, in combination with the stories touching on the grief, forced resilience and flexibility required to live and thrive with chronic illness, encourages the viewer to remember that there is more to everybody’s story than is outwardly visible. After all, every human being experiences struggles and setbacks in their lives, and perhaps by being boldly open about these hardships, we can all relate to one another a little better and further perpetuate kindness, compassion and empathy towards each other.
Stanley Jones Grocery
2024
Digital drawing print layered into diorama style
Location: Thorncliffe/Greenview Community Association
Growing up in Mohkinstsis, as a settler, my artistic practice longs for a sense of human connection and compassionate change. Inspired by the mundane and the everyday, my art captures moments that feel noteworthy, whether in their monotony or their remarkableness. With a deep love of buildings on the edge of survival, I aspire to document important community cornerstones, spaces accessed by us all. As an amateur artist I am influenced by “lowbrow” art, and unpaid art found in our streetscapes. This is reflected in my use of public spaces as my muse, and simple and accessible mediums.
Corner stores see the community for what it truly is, in its happiest and toughest moments, it is always there. These spaces are more important now than ever, they provide connections for the community in an extremely valuable and unique way. The humble corner store becomes a backbone of a community without even trying.
Photo by Leia Guo
The Meena-phoenix Lays on a Pann Leaf under Two Moons in a Lucid Dream
2021
Acrylic and mixed media on canvas board
Location: Temple Community Association
Sadia Fakih’s work explores cultural hybridity, displacement, intersectionality, and the surreal. In her collage-drawings, she merges cultural mythologies of influence, emphasizing the feminine, ornamental and esoteric. Influenced by classic Indo-Persian miniature painting, Sadia explores her own myth-making in the transitional spaces that erupt when imposing identities collide.
The fragmentation and non-linearity with the work’s mythological and art historical references re-imagine pre-conceived conventions of identity, resisting a West vs. East binary view. Sadia’s parents immigrated to Canada from Karachi, Pakistan in the mid 1970s. She was born in Nova Scotia and grew up in Ontario. Sadia moved to Calgary in 2005 where she still works and resides.
Photo by Leia Guo
Tiny Tree Harmony
2021
Mixed media sculpture
Location: Beddington Heights (Park) Community Association
Tiny Tree Harmony is a special sculpture made with different materials. It shows a small bonsai tree, made with wire and pretty beads. The base of the tree is a rock painted with acrylic paint representing Mother Earth. The sculpture is about finding balance and peace in nature. It’s a reminder of how beautiful and connected everything in nature is. Looking at Tiny Tree Harmony can help people feel calm and happy, like being in a peaceful garden.
As a visual artist rooted in Calgary (Moh-kins-tsis), I express my cultural heritage through my art, blending traditional and modern styles. My journey was profoundly influenced during the pandemic when I volunteered at the Genesis Centre, teaching arts and crafts to immigrant women, seniors and children. Witnessing them create and sell their artworks at community markets inspired me deeply.
Photo by Leia Guo
Today I’m Feeling Better
2024
Brass, Jasper and Shell Beads
Location: Crossroads Community Association
Today I’m Feeling Better is an expansion on the playful approach I am undertaking as I reignite my art practice while learning to be a mother and navigating a journey of personal healing. The form and arrangement of the sculpture allude to the growth and subtle movements found in nature. Much like motherhood, my process for making is becoming more organic and led by instinct and trust.
Victoria Sanchez is a jeweller, visual artist, and arts administrator currently based in Treaty 7 land — Calgary. A jeweller by training, Victoria likes to explore functionality, beauty and adornment, experimenting with new and traditional techniques, and making with intention.
Photo by Leia Guo
City Hall at Sunset
2013
Acrylic
Location: Municipal Building Atrium
The city of Calgary has always been my favourite subject to paint. From its public parks to the iconic Calgary tower to its landmark buildings downtown, I enjoy visiting the sites to paint small thumbnails, then later paint on bigger canvas.
The City Hall at Sunset was created when I used to go to Central Library across the street. Waiting for the light to change at the corner across from the City Hall, the train station at early evening when the Alberta sky was showing off with all its colours reflecting from the sun about to set, I felt inspired to capture the scene onto the canvas.
The previous exhibition was curated by Tomas Jonsson and was displayed from July to October 2024. Learn more about the artists and artworks from the previous exhibition here.