From Idea to Installation: How Public Art Finds its Place in St. Albert

No matter what form it takes—a sculpture, a mural, an abstract installation—there’s a lot of planning that goes into a work of public art. That’s by necessity: consultation is key for something that’s entering our community. And in her role as a Visual Arts Coordinator with the City, Jacilyn Blackwood works to ensure that the process is as transparent as possible.

“I work internally with other business departments or business units to find opportunities for public art integration in their projects,” she says. “This is a newer way of working: there's a big trust and educational component about the benefit of having an artist on a design team early on, so their artwork can be integrated and they're part of the engagement.”

Blackwood’s own background is in painting—she went to school at the Alberta College of Art and Design (now AUArts)—but a few summer government jobs gave her experience that led to a blend of artistic and bureaucratic work: first with a public art job with Calgary, and now here in St. Albert.

As part of the Arts Exchange series, she’s hosting Public Art 101: a talk and Q+A session that looks to demystify the hows and whys of public art, both for artists and the general public who may be curious about the processes.

“The talk will go through the whole creation process of a public artwork and what's involved,” she says. “What's required on the City's end, the development of the call for artists, how we work with our committee, who selects the artwork and how an artist would work with the City once they're hired. It should be a big overview of all the information that folks usually need, that may be intimidating when you read it all on one webpage.”

The timing’s good, too: Blackwood notes that two public art calls will be open at the time of the talk, helping anyone who may be interested in applying, or for those seeking to understand the steps an application goes through. Which ultimately, is the goal: Blackwood’s hoping to broaden our understanding of an artistic practice that, when done effectively, can add wonderful vibrancy and colour to a favourite locale.

“I think that public art has a way of building a sense of ownership within a community,” she says. “There could be a piece in their community that they really love, and when their family or friends come to visit, that's something that they're proud to show off and talk about. I think that public art can tell the stories of a community: Where we're at in different times in life, in the world. … If it's in a park, it can talk about stewardship, it can talk about our ecosystem, it can talk about the wildlife that lives around us—in ways that aren't as traditional as signage or a post on the website.” 

Public Art 101 happens on Thursday, February 20 at 6:30 p.m., in St. Albert Place (Progress Hall). The talk is free, but registration is required. Register Now

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