Calgary-based artists create thought-provoking murals downtown

Earlier this summer, four talented 2SLGBTQ+, BIPOC, and ally artist teams were commissioned to paint murals to celebrate Pride and tell stories about the Queer community for the second annual Shaw Pride Marches On art walk initiative. 

While Calgary Pride 2021 has come to an end, the stories and fight for equality live on. Locals can visit Calgary’s Beltline community to experience the awe-inspiring murals at the four corner entrances of Central Memorial Park and educate themselves about the meaning behind each one from now through October 3.

Shaw Pride Marches On (Courtesy of Shaw)

All of the featured murals, which were commissioned by Shaw Communications in partnership with Calgary Pride, The City of Calgary, and Calgary Arts Development, are an important display of the community’s pride, resilience, and strength.

Among the talented artists to have adorned the local park with one of their murals are duo Ash Adams and Vanessa Toews who spearhead Superbloom Collective, a creative practice that aims to “produce meaningful artwork” and “inclusive educational experiences and artistic training.” Titled Liberation Now, their mural is intended to symbolize intersectionality and the multitudes encompassed within queerhood.

While the artists say they don’t have expectations for viewers of their work, understanding that “everyone’s experiences are different,” they hope that people look at it and can connect to it. “We live in a fast-paced world; if people stop for a moment and breathe, take a look, and think about the work, it’s doing its job,” they tell us.

Liberation Now at Shaw Pride Marches On (Courtesy of Shaw)

Colin Menzies — a local artist who strives to bolster creative mental health exploration — and their team of artists, which includes photographer Wilmer Aburto and painter Chishimba Matthew Kangombe, came together to create their mural called Pride In Solidarity.

When constructing the mural, Aburto photographed the portraits, Menzies drew and painted on the portraits, and Kangombe designed the composition and colour palette. “Our inspiration came from a strong creative dynamic within our team and a vision to showcase and celebrate underrepresented people in this city,” they note. Additionally, they say, “We invite you to find the hidden rabbit in our mural.”

Pride In Solidarity at Shaw Pride Marches On (Courtesy of Shaw)

The mural Metamorph, undertaken by illustrator and muralist duo Nicole Wolf and Mike Hooves, is steeped in symbols of Indigenous culture, self-discovery, and “the transformative nature of queerness.”

Though both participated as artists in the last iteration of Shaw Pride Marches On, this year marks their first entry on the same team. “During International Pride Month in June, we got talking over coffee about identity and queerness and decided it’d be great to apply together,” they tell us. Despite initial weather challenges, they say it was “satisfying to see the image go from a rainbow worm to a snake, to a snake amongst flowers” once they were back on track.

Metamorph at Shaw Pride Marches On (Courtesy of Shaw)

In the mural You Are Queer Enough, Mackenzie Bedford’s whimsical creation comes to life, this time in the form of a celestial affirmation that seeks to inspire people to be their truest selves.

“It’s important to have representation like this to reflect the pride and resilience of queer people right now, to make space for more representation in the future,” she says when asked what the significance of the art walk means to her. “The experience of seeing people walk by and light up because they felt spoken to was the best part of painting.”

You Are Queer Enough at Shaw Pride Marches On (Courtesy of Shaw)

Experience the art walk for yourself by heading to Calgary’s Central Memorial Park from now through October 3.

To learn more about Pride Marches On, you can click here.