If you’ve been out and about in the community over the past few weeks, chances are you’ve encountered some new art in your travels. Recently, two new large-scale works have been completed on Alberta Avenue, and the Kinnaird Ravine murals have been updated with 21 new mural panels. 

Avenue Theatre

Local graffiti art stalwart AJA Louden is continuing his long-standing artistic relationship with the Avenue Theatre on 118 Avenue and 90 Street by completing a sci-fi themed mural that covers the entire south face of the building, a canvas over 100 feet long. The Edmonton Arts Council provided a grant to get the mural started earlier in the summer, but Louden was set on finishing it. He’s been returning in his spare time between other projects to get it done. 

“It’s a piece of science fiction about a mother and a daughter figure,” says Louden about the mural. “And it’s this sort of adventure that I’ve been working on and playing with images about for years now. So I’m excited to share this scale of work about that story.” 

He adds that he finds inspiration in the cultures and cuisine to be found all along Alberta Avenue. “One of the things I love about 118 is that within 10 blocks you can get 20 different types of food. And food is like a really big source of inspiration for me as a visual artist.” 

“Flavour I connect personally with colour. I always see colour palettes when I try a new food. A really special dish will give me a ton of inspiration particularly in terms of colour. So to be able to give back to this community in this area creatively is really exciting for me.”

Liberian Cuisine Restaurant

A few blocks east of the Avenue Theatre, a series of new murals has appeared on the Liberian Cuisine Restaurant Bar & Grill at 8405 118 Ave., honouring soccer star Alphonso Davies. 

These works were funded through Capital City Clean Up with assistance from Arts on the Ave. The project was spearheaded by Liberian Cuisine’s owner John Freeman, who was looking for a solution to problems he’d been having with nuisance graffiti. 

When asked why Alphonso Davies, Freeman patted his chest and replied, “because he is our son, he is Edmonton’s son.” 

The murals were painted by the local artist known as Alex From Mars. Alex feels public murals like this are an important part of the fabric of community in a city like Edmonton. 

“I think when it comes down to showing artwork in the public eye, it comes full circle of understanding that a person walking by could be dealing with a larger issue of grief or possibly having the greatest day of their lives. And sometimes when they see these big portraits or big images, it just changes their day from good to bad or bad to good. It gives that inspiration realizing like, look how big this is and how beautiful it is.”

KinnArt Ravine Mural Project

Down in Kinnaird Ravine, which can be accessed from the north side of Sheriff Robertson Park on the corner of 82 Street and 111 Avenue, CreArt Edmonton just finished a massive refresh of their mural project, updating or replacing 21 panels that had become weathered or worn with new work. 

CreArt’s executive director, Sebastian Barrera, insists that these murals are not public art, “but rather art made by the public.” The panels, which cover a staggering fourteen hundred square feet along the path descending into the ravine, are created entirely by non-professional members of the community with mentorship from more experienced artists.

The ongoing project, which is run by CreArt, is funded by the City of Edmonton with support from the Parkdale Cromdale Community League. 

Thematically and stylistically, the murals run the gamut of subject matter, colour palette, and style. Barrera sees the project as an entry point into the arts for anyone who wants to try their hand at creative painting. 

“These are community art spaces where everybody should be able and allowed to paint and create spaces for the arts. It allows people who don’t have the expertise or the knowledge to have their first piece with the expectation or the hope that eventually we can plant that creative seed.”

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Never been to Kinnaird Ravine? Learn how to get there, get more trail information, or find it on All Trails.

Check out our previous article on local murals posted in May.