Trio of Calgary artists paint a picture of evolving landscape in the mountains of Western Canada

Three Calgary artists are drawing inspiration from a week-long residency in the heart of Rogers Pass, aimed at connecting Canadians with the natural wonders and history of Glacier National Park.

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The trio was among a group of 12 from Western Canada that spent five days hiking and creating among the trails this past summer as part of the Art in the Park program, a partnership between Parks Canada and the Revelstoke Visual Arts Society.

The residency has been running since 2008 and is reminiscent of the late 1800s when artists arrived by train to hike and create in the Selkirk Mountains.

“For us to be up there in places that artists I greatly admire were hundreds of years ago, that is a very special experience,” said Michelle Austen, one of three artists selected from Calgary. “We hiked to altitudes I would never have went by myself.”

The artists are currently tasked with creating three different pieces that will be put on display at an exhibition in March 2025 in Revelstoke, before travelling to other venues in Western Canada through the year.

The details of the future venues have yet to be announced.

“It’s a mix of different styles and mediums these artists will use and that is sort of how they were selected for the program because we wanted to have as much diversity as possible in the original work created afterwords,” said Laura Bernier, a public outreach education officer with Parks Canada.

“I think it will paint a really interesting picture of Glacier National Park that none of us have really seen before.”

The theme of this year’s program encouraged artists to create through the lens of the UNESCO’s theme for 2025: International Year of Glaciers' Preservation.

“We really provided them with quite a bit of education and orientation about how important glaciers are for our national park and, also for the communities around us, and the ecosystems and how they shape the landscape. So, we’re hoping this will be conveyed through the art,” said Bernier.

Another Calgary artist, Amanda Reber, hopes to help preserve the evolving, and disappearing, landscape through her work.

“It’s just stunning everywhere you go,” said Reber

“I really hope people come away with an appreciation of our outdoors. I think we’re really fortunate to live in such close proximity to world renowned landscapes and to kind of be a little bit of a champion in taking care of these wild places because I think that’s really important as well.”

It’s a shared sentiment from Kim McNeil, the third artist from Calgary.

She also hopes to help archive a slice of history, and is excited to see how the other 11 artists interpreted their surroundings.

“I’m hoping it will inspire people to go out, spend time in nature, see things they wouldn’t see and also enjoy the arts and learn there is ag great correlation between the two,” she said.

“It’s a unique challenge so if you’ve never done that as an artist, it’s a unique learning curve, and it’s also a lot of fun. I also learnt it can get boring in a studio too and it’s nice to get to sit on a rock and get a beautiful vista as your inspiration.”

The Art In The Park residency currently runs every second summer.