Alberta ULI members and guests were treated to a taste of creativity and innovation at the latest ULI event – The Value of Art and the Art in Value, hosted by Heavy Industries on September 7, 2017. Heavy’s fabrication shop, the birthplace of many local and far-reaching public art creations, was the perfect backdrop for a discussion on the impact of Public Art in our community. The expert panel consisted of renowned international artist – Ned Kahn, Director of Commercial at Brookfield Residential Alberta – Elton Ma, and Manager of Culture at City of Calgary – Sarah Iley. The discussion, led by moderator Susan Veres, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, explored the artist selection process, funding models and the impact of government policy from the perspective of private developers and the City.

Having been involved in many public art projects over his career, Ned has seen first hand how public art can become a “lightning rod for discontent in a community.” He went on to explain that the most successful projects are ones where the artist is engaged early, so the art becomes integrated with the original design. Sarah Iley explained the City of Calgary’s policy of allocating 1% of a capital project’s budget to public art and how a committee of seven citizens is engaged to oversee the process. From Elton Ma’s perspective, public art is an important consideration for Brookfield’s projects as it allows developers to create landmarks and enliven public space within their communities. Alberta ULI is grateful for the participation of the panelists and audience in this lively discussion.

Jordan Tetreau

The Value of Art and the Art in Value: Heavy Industries Tour and Public Art Discussion (September 2017)

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