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For the first time ever, PARK is partnering with Deerfoot City to launch #YYCBlockParty, an art installation and patio space created by five local artists including a 200ft roadway mural, outdoor lawn games and interactive art seating.
#YYCBlockParty provides a vibrant, accessible, and safe community space where Calgarians can engage with outdoor public art and one another while socially distancing. The installation is lined by over 200 feet of pathway and walk space and will be accompanied by art adorned picnic tables, umbrellas and benches that meet Alberta Health Guidelines for spacing and cleaning protocols.
Stay and play by enjoying the many food vendors at Deerfoot City’s Food Lodge, outdoor shopping on The Boulevard and entertainment including outdoor lawn games, The Rec Room, iFly and more throughout the summer. Be sure to use the hashtag #YYCblockparty and tag @destinationdeerfootcity on Instagram so we can see your captures!
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Featured Artists
Sydonne Warren, a visual artist originally from Jamaica but raised in Calgary, Alberta, is known for her vibrant and expressive portrait paintings. She studied Architectural Technologies and Graphic Design at SAIT, and went on to major in Graphic Design at AUARTS. Sydonne has been honing her craft since 2013, and has recently expanded into public art, starting to create works in public spaces in 2020. Her talents don't stop there, as in 2021, she founded a paint and sip business that teaches adults how to create their own expressive portraits. Her artistic abilities have been recognized with Diversity magazine's Artist of the Year Award, and her work has been featured in various local media outlets. Sydonne's portraits often feature black women and incorporate geometric elements, with bright contrasting colors, drips, and spatters adding depth and conveying her cultural experiences.
Rhys Douglas Farrell is an emerging artist living and working in Calgary, Alberta. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with distinction (major in Painting & Drawing) from the Alberta University of the Arts in the spring of 2016. He was signed with the Herringer Kiss Gallery in 2015 and his first solo show was named by Canadian Art Magazine as a “Must See”. Farrell has completed a number of public art projects with the Telus Spark Science Center, Beltline Urban Mural Project, the City of Calgary and a number of private commissions. His work has been aggressively collected by private and corporate collections alike and he recently completed three international residencies with Pinea & Linea De Costa A.I.R program in Spain, Graniti Murales in Sicily and the TARP Program in Kuala Lumpur with Taksu Gallery. Farrell is the recipient of the 2019 Alumni Horizon Award from AUArts.
Leechuts (Leetia Lyons) is a Calgary-based illustrator and designer who works across multiple creative mediums and industries. Since completing her Bachelor of Design fromAuArts in 2019, she has been exploring every opportunity that has come her way, building a creative practice and lifestyle to define her unique sensibilities. Her illustration and design style ranges from conceptual to minimalist, often with influence from East-Asian art and culture.
NASARIMBA is the collaborative practice of artists Rachel Ziriada and Mikhail Miller based in Calgary, AB. NASARIMBA is a fictional word created by the duo which means playful mischief. Since 2015, NASARIMBA has been creating vibrant abstract compositions spanning across mediums of painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation and murals. Their work is made through process and intuitive decision making, often responding to architecture and the natural world. They have painted murals across Canada and in Mexico. This summer they will be participating in BUMP, Calgary’s own mural festival.