Why Edmonton We heart public art

“Public art is a really useful way just to sort of shake off the dust of everyday life and just find beauty and meaning in the world around us without always having to go inside a gallery looking for it.”

A pineapple, wearing sunglasses, stands in the middle of a bunch of swings, monkey bars and a circle of drums.

AJA Louden’s newest piece of public art doubles as an interactive playground in Balwin Park, located in northeast Edmonton.

“You’ll see a really large sort of sentinel that looks like a seed that has sprouted,” says the local artist. “At the very top is this pineapple figure who’s watching over the playground, kind of like a guardian. Then, there’s also a bunch of hidden surprises around the playground …”

A large, bright yellow pineapple sculpture with sunglasses stands guard over a playground with swings, monkey bars, and drums.

More than 60 per cent of Edmonton’s Public Art Collection is made up of work by local artists, including AJA Louden’s Piney P in Balwin Park. Credit: Edmonton Arts Council

Louden’s work marks a monumental milestone for the city.

Piney’s Playground is the 300th piece in Edmonton’s award-winning Public Art Collection. It includes sculptures, murals and interactive art in a range of locations such as parks, swimming pools, libraries, LRT ramps, the Tawatinâ Bridge and the Whitemud Freeway.

“Art is one of those universal languages that can bring people together,” says Louden.

The Public Art Collection is managed and championed by Edmonton Arts Council (EAC), which celebrated its 30th anniversary in October 2025. The City of Edmonton funds the collection, with the annual amount totalling at least one per cent of what the City spends on eligible capital projects.

“Art has a unique way of bringing us together,” says Renée Williams, executive director of EAC. “And when so much is divided, what a better way to come together, as Edmontonians, than to celebrate art and culture in our own city.”

A sculpture depicting nine figures in various hockey-playing poses on a wall.

9 Figures in Motion with a Puck is located in Rogers Place Community Rink. Credit: Edmonton Arts Council

Much of the art around the city is woven into the landscape and reflects the people, places and experiences of Edmontonians.

Some of those pieces include:

9 Figures in Motion with a Puck, which combines sculpture and painting, showcases the city’s deep love for hockey. The work, created by St. Albert artist Al Henderson, is located in the upper entrance of the Rogers Place Community Rink.
Ripples on a Pond, a glass tile mosaic, centers on three aquatic species native to Alberta. Designed by William Frymire, the piece is featured at the Borden Park Natural Swim Experience.
Talus Dome, a collection of silver balls near the Quesnell Bridge, represents the sky, weather, river and cars that pass by it on Whitemud Drive.

Talus Dome, designed by Ball Nogues Studio from Los Angeles, is one of Nicole Poirier’s favourite pieces. She’s the City’s Civic Events Director. “I love the fact that some people love it and some people don’t love it,” she says.

“It’s in a really interesting place from my perspective because people driving by every day see it and they think about it and whether they think about it positively or negatively, they’re thinking about public art.”

Six tentacles, covered in multi-coloured mosaic tiles, swirl out of the ground and reach for the sky.

A sculpture that resembles a floating octopus with five tentacles and multi-coloured mosaic tiles stands outside a few buildings.

Two of Louden’s favourite examples of public art include UGO and A Mischief of Could Be(s), both of which were created for children to explore.

These pieces, created by Edmonton’s Red Knot Studio, recently won the Creative City Network’s Legacy Award, a national honour recognizing the power of public art to enhance connections between people, place and culture.

“You don’t even have to speak the same literal language and you can see something and recognize that it’s beautiful … or feel a certain emotion in a deep way. So the fact that art can surpass language or any other belief systems or anything like that, it’s just one of those things that is just a human-to-human way of communicating. And I think that’s really what we need right now.”

Public art installations don’t necessarily have a specific meaning, they can be whatever people see or need in the moment.

“Not all art is about anything, not all art is about stuff,” says David Turnbull, the EAC’s director of Public Art.

“Sometimes it’s just for the sake of its own existence. And I feel like when you look at a piece of artwork in its surroundings, you start to consider it a little bit differently than if it were just an object on a wall that you need to decipher.”

To explore Edmonton’s Public Art Collection, the EAC’s site offers a map of locations and suggests curated tours to take, including those in downtown, Borden Park, Mill Woods and along the Southeast Valley Line LRT.

“Go and experience something and make it part of your weekly entertainment or relaxation routine where you go and you take in something maybe that you’ve not ever taken in before,” says Williams. “You might be pleasantly surprised.”

Editor’s note: the image in the header is Vaulted Willow, a sculpture designed by New York artist Marc Fornes, is located in Borden Park. The artwork has won several awards, including an Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Year in Review award. Courtesy of Cooper & O’Hara/Explore Edmonton

Why Edmonton We heart public art

“Art is one of those universal languages that can bring people together,” says Louden.

“It’s in a really interesting place from my perspective because people driving by every day see it and they think about it and whether they think about it positively or negatively, they’re thinking about public art.”

“Sometimes it’s just for the sake of its own existence. And I feel like when you look at a piece of artwork in its surroundings, you start to consider it a little bit differently than if it were just an object on a wall that you need to decipher.”

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