Sydonne Warren
Public Art Project Lead
Sydonne Warren is a Jamaican Canadian multidisciplinary artist, muralist and instructor currently serving as a Public Art Project Lead at Calgary Arts Development. She uses her role to support community-led art and create more inclusive access to public art in Calgary.
Over the past five years, Sydonne has worked as a professional muralist, producing large-scale artworks that reflect identity, culture and lived experience. Her work is shaped by her Caribbean background and often centres the stories of Black women. She combines both figurative and abstract elements, using colour, shape and form to build visual narratives. She primarily works with acrylic, spray paint, oil and digital tools.
Community involvement is central to Sydonne’s approach. Many of her murals are collaborative and include input from local residents or youth groups. She believes public art should reflect the people it serves, and she works to create opportunities for others to be involved in the process. In 2024, she designed and led a one-day mural course which grew into the launch of Calgary’s first mural camp in January 2025. The week-long program gives aspiring muralists practical training in planning and executing public artwork. It is designed to help emerging artists build skills and confidence to work in large-scale formats. The camp grew out of her previous paint and sip workshops, where she taught groups how to paint portraits in a fun, accessible way. The mural camp builds on that by offering a deeper experience focused on professional development and skill-building.
Sydonne’s background in design informs how she plans her projects. She completed a diploma in Architectural Technologies at SAIT, then went on to study Graphic Design at SAIT and Alberta University of the Arts, where she majored in the subject for two years. Her training taught her to work with structure, research and process, which are skills she brings into both her personal practice and her project management work.
In her current role at Calgary Arts Development, Sydonne supports the city’s public art strategy, with a focus on equity and access. She helps develop projects that reflect Calgary’s cultural diversity and provide opportunities for artists from a range of backgrounds. Whether she is leading a mural, mentoring new artists or working behind the scenes, her goal is to create public art that people feel connected to.
