Art gallery in a parkade: New apartment complex features handcrafted murals
An apartment building in south Edmonton will have a unique attraction in its underground parking garage.
The new 358-rental unit Louvre at Century Park building features an art gallery on its parkade pillars.
Forty-four local artists got the opportunity to paint support columns within the parking garage and compete for five cash prizes. The winner of the top prize will take home $5,000.
Artists were asked to create images inspired by Paris or items held in the Louvre Museum’s collection to match the residential building’s name.
Painters came in every Saturday for the past five weeks to bring their creations to life.
“We’ve had a really great response,” said George Schluessel, CEO of ProCura Real Estate Services. “We really wanted to create the theme of the Louvre.”
For Schluessel, parkades are often simply a transit point.
“When we were developing this building, the parkade with high ceilings and a skylight, it just lent itself to a great opportunity to involve art into the project,” Schluessel said.
One of the artists, Peter Gegolick, told CTV News Edmonton that the project has been a rewarding experience, as he got to meet and learn from other artists as they created their work.
“Painting in a parkade isn’t the first place you would think of doing artwork, but I love art doing competitions and meeting other artists,” Gegolick said. “It’s really crazy almost seeing almost all the finished pieces at this point.
“I think it was a cool and fun concept to take things that are in the Louvre that are very much structured and have been around for centuries and really put this cool spin on it,” he added.
Grace Beaudin, another artist competing for the prize, said the paintings have brought a new life and character to an otherwise drab or cookie-cutter part of an apartment building.
“It just makes everything so much more alive,” she said. “There’s so many different styles of art and techniques, it’s beautiful.
“There’s some absolutely stunning pieces of work in here,” Beaudin added.
The prize winners will be announced on Nov. 27. Online voting runs from Monday to Friday at 5 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian family stuck in Lebanon anxiously awaits flight options amid Israeli strikes
A Canadian man who is trapped in Lebanon with his family says they are anxiously waiting for seats on a flight out of the country, as a barrage of Israeli airstrikes continues.
Suspect in shooting of Toronto cop was out on bail
A 21-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Toronto police officer this week was out on bail at the time of the alleged offence, court documents obtained by CTV News Toronto show.
Scientists looked at images from space to see how fast Antarctica is turning green. Here's what they found
Parts of icy Antarctica are turning green with plant life at an alarming rate as the region is gripped by extreme heat events, according to new research, sparking concerns about the changing landscape on this vast continent.
DEVELOPING 2 dead after fire rips through historic building in Old Montreal
At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building near Montreal's City Hall, sources told Noovo Info.
Yazidi woman captured by ISIS rescued in Gaza after more than a decade in captivity
A 21-year-old Yazidi woman has been rescued from Gaza where she had been held captive by Hamas for years after being trafficked by ISIS.
A 6-year-old girl was kidnapped in Arkansas in 1995. Almost 30 years later, a suspect was identified
Nearly 30 years after a six-year-old girl disappeared in Western Arkansas, authorities have identified a suspect in her abduction through DNA evidence.
Dolphins 'smile' at each other when they play and to avoid misunderstanding, study finds
For humans, flashing a smile is an easy way to avoid misunderstanding. And, according to a new study, bottlenose dolphins may use a similar tactic while playing with each other.
Pit bulls in B.C. pet mauling tested positive for meth, cocaine, says city
Three pit bulls involved in a deadly attack on another dog last month in Kamloops, B.C., tested positive for methamphetamine and cocaine, and the city is going to court to have them put down.
Tax rebate: Canadians with low to modest incomes to receive payment on Friday
Canadians who are eligible for a GST/HST tax credit can expect their final payment of the year on Friday.