Gabriel Esteban Molina, The Way Forward, 2024, Digital rendering printed on vinyl

New Mural in the Youth Lounge at Millennium Place

The Way Forward was made in collaboration with students from Bev Facey High School’s photography 20/30 class. The students participated in two workshops to learn about photogrammetry; a technique using software to make 3D models with sequential photographs also known as structure from motion. The students were instructed in making 3D portraits and scans of objects and environments around the high school. The 3D models and textures the students generated were used as part of this artwork's composition.   

The Way Forward presents a scene blending natural imagery and man-made constructions swirling together. Chunks of land, vegetation, sky, and concrete are arranged in a way that plays with foreground and background, confusing the sense of depth. Amidst the churn, a group of people see a way through, brought together by the texture of distorted colours representing not only the fundamental elements of vision and perception, but also the building blocks that underpin everything in our universe. By seeking out and acknowledging our fundamental interrelatedness and interconnectedness we can find a way through the chaos.   

Gabriel Esteban Molina is a first-generation Canadian multidisciplinary artist of Chilean descent. Proficient with drawing at an early age, he graduated from the University of Alberta with a BFA: Fine Arts majoring in painting and sculpture. He went on to study at the Chelsea College of Arts in London, United Kingdom to focus on developing his experimental practice, graduating in 2015 with an MA: Fine Art (Merit). Gabriel lives and works in Edmonton, Canada. 

Location: Millennium Place, 2000 Premier Way (Youth Lounge) 

Bruno Canadien, Sweet Song, 2024, Acrylic mural

Celebrating Festival Place's 30th Anniversary

Sweet Song was created in honour of Festival Place’s 30th Anniversary year and celebrates the Indigenous hand drum as the leading instrument of round dances and Dene drum dances. In this painting we are viewing the drums as if we are the singers, and the colours and patterns are our voices merging with the reverberations of the drum, creating a good song to dance to. Florals, ribbons of colour, the circle, and the petal motif are common elements used in Canadien’s work to discuss his experiences of family, heritage, and the land. 

Bruno Canadien is a visual artist whose multidisciplinary practice investigates Indigenous presence, kinship, and relationality in the contemporary context, through painting, drawing, installation, walking/land art, public art, and digital arts. 

Canadien is a member of the Deh Gah Got’ı́é Dene First Nation of Zhati Kǫ́ę́, Denendeh, a Deh Cho Region member of the Dene Nation. He is currently based in Black Diamond, Alberta, gratefully grounding himself in the landscapes and traditional territories of the Siksikaitsitapi, Tsuut’ina and Îethka Nakoda Wîcastabi nations. 

Location: Community Centre, 401 Festival Lane (Interior breezeway between Community Centre and County Hall) 

Brie Adkins, Prairie Portal, 2024, Acrylic and aerosol

New Public Art at Strathcona Public Services Yard (SPSY)

Brie Adkins created Prairie Portal so that folks could enjoy a mini escape as they move from one space to another. It uses stairs to invite viewers into the mural and beckons them to take a mental break from the everyday busyness in its vista. It also has regional flora and fauna breaking out of the frame and spilling a bit of wonder into our world. Sometimes we just need to know a portal to another world is just around the corner. 

Brie Adkins is an award winning artist and muralist with her most recent body of work spanning Alberta and Spain. Brie has been painting professionally since 2015 and in that time has hosted workshops, cultural events and propped up other women artists within her own gallery space.