Newly-opened art and music installation brings life to historic downtown fire hall
A new art exhibition at the vacant downtown fire hall will be the home of free, outdoor concerts this summer. Over the next two months, the 110-year-old Fire Hall No. 1 is being pumped full of energy by a team of city planners and artists.
Starting at 1 p.m. on August 7, people can visit the historic fire hall to enjoy live music and watch artists work on pieces that reflect the history of the old fire station.
After August 7, concerts will take place every Saturday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. until September 25. These concerts will be a special edition of the ArtsXpeditions series put on by the Arts Commons. Performances will feature artists such as Tim Tamashiro, Chantal Chagnon & Dancers, and Perpetual Nwaefido Trio and friends.
The featured art installation, titled Escape, will be a hanging piece created from objects like ladders and ropes, inspired by elements of the fire hall. Each individual ladder is uniquely decorated in different styles and themes.
The piece was created by local artists Emma McCaul and Jessie St. Clair.
Visitors can watch the creation of street art by local artists in Foreignerz, a creative house that pushes the boundaries of art, music, and film. These artists will be kicking things off Saturday as they add their own artistic contribution to the installation and build on the theme of Escape.
Visitors can enjoy the art installation while sitting under the newly installed pergolas and picnic tables.
The city has partnered with Calgary Municipal Land Company (CMLC) to reimagine the exterior of the fire hall into a vibrant artist's space that hopes to bring enthusiasm to this area of downtown.
The city says this new installation will help turn the corner from downtown vacancy to vibrancy.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.