Commuters treated to downtown artwork

December marks the arrival of an organization of various local artists showcasing their work through the ongoing Open Spaces:  Window to a View exhibit in downtown Calgary.

Julie Chapdelaine, a francophone from St. Paul, Alta., is one of the featured artists and has been involved with Calgary’s art community on and off since 1991.

Juile Chapdelaine’s The Birdhouse Project is showcased at the Telus Convention Centre LRT station platform at First Street and Centre Street S.E.

Photo: Leah Brownridge/ Calgary Journal

To Chapdelaine, The Birdhouse Project is a fitting example of why she describes herself as a mixed-media artist. She enjoys using a variety of constructional materials such as rubber, cheesecloth and graphite to create artwork that “looks like something.”

She also has been instructing at the Alberta College of Art and Design for the past seven years, teaching a class on sculpture and 3-D design.

In-Definite Arts Society, an organization of about 180 Calgarian artists, is also showing artwork alongside Chapdelaine. In-Definite Arts Society works with local artists who have a variety of disabilities, ranging from Down syndrome to mild learning disabilities.

Roxanne Driediger, exhibition co-ordinator of In-Definite Arts Society, said: “We’re always trying to expand our exhibition program, and I think this is a really big deal for us to have art in such a visible location. For our artists, it’s great for them to be recognized for their talents and celebrated for their abilities.”

Open Spaces: Window to a View was created by the Public Art Program as an opportunity for local artists to showcase their work.

Rachael Seupersad, superintendent of the Public Art Program for the City of Calgary, said that Open Spaces is an ideal location for artwork to be displayed, as it is a high traffic area. The artwork is displayed at the TELUS Convention Centre LRT station platform, located between First Street and Centre Street S.E.

“If you have to wait for the train, you might as well walk over and look at what’s going on,” said Seupersad.  “It’s the same people who use that LRT platform day in and day out. Eventually they stop seeing things that don’t change, so we wanted to keep it alive and changing so people realize, ‘Oh, you know, something new pops up in there every so often,’ ” said Seupersad.

Starting in May 2009, Open Spaces began displaying the work of 10 local artists over the course of a year. Each artist will show their work for about six weeks. Chapdelaine’s and In-Definite Arts Society’s works will be on view until Dec. 31.

Driediger said she is “fairly confident that Open Spaces will start again in May 2010,” based on its success so far.