Calgary host
Stephan Wilhelm
@sjwilhelm
Calgary’s transit system is more than just a number of stops along a route; look a little closer you’ll see a gallery of Calgary’s diverse and historic public art works.
Calgary’s public art collection is made up of over 1200 works of art, and is over a century old, which is one of Calgary’s best kept secrets. Additionally, after extensive engagement, Calgarians have expressed that they would like to see more local artists commissioned by The City’s Public Art program. When the opportunity arose to integrate public art into the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines across Calgary, the public art team developed several different projects to create a moving gallery, that would be reflective of Calgary’s local talent both new and historic pieces from the collection. This talk will discuss the current state of public art program and the details of the BRT project.
About the speaker
Jennifer Thompson has been the Acting Manager of The City of Calgary’s Arts in Culture division more than a year ago, after leading The City’s public art program through a total restructure. Jennifer began her time with The City of Calgary seven years ago in Communications and Media Relations roles across the corporation, her most recent role prior to Arts and Culture, as the Senior Advisor to the General Manager of Community Services from 2016 to 2018. Prior to working in Calgary, Jennifer worked in the Unites States and Vancouver primarily in the fields of Communications, Marketing and Design experience in both the not for profit and the private sector.
Jennifer holds an Executive MBA from the University of Calgary, a professional designation in Governance and Public Policy from the University of Victoria and both a Bachelor of Science in Multimedia Design and designations in graphic design from the University of Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
Although she has an affinity for problem solving and policy development work, Jennifer is actively involved in both the arts and culture sector and social justice in Calgary. She has been a Board member for both the Sled Island Music Festival and the University of Calgary’s Student Legal Assistance, and has been a volunteer for numerous arts and culture related organizations, including Calgary’s Folk Music Festival for the past nine years.
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