A Crossfield resident was chosen as one of 28 artists to contribute work to the Chinook Blast mid-winter festival in Calgary.
Vienna Lang, a W.G. Murdoch School alumna and multi-faceted artist, was pleasantly surprised when she was asked to contribute one of the many pieces that were displayed in Calgary throughout the festival, which runs from Feb. 13 to Feb. 28 in various parts of the city.
“My dad is a big part of these projects as well, so that is how I got into it,” the 18-year-old artist said. “I met some of the park representatives and they asked if I would be interested. I was very surprised because I am fresh out of high school – I wasn’t expecting to get something this big so quickly. I was very excited.”
According to the festival’s website, The Chinook Blast mid-winter festival started in 2019, with the idea of bringing Calgarians together through an inclusive winter event that showcased the city as a vibrant place to live and visit. This year’s festival includes light installations and virtual events in various neighbourhoods in and surrounding downtown Calgary.
Lang said being chosen to participate in the festival meant a lot to her, adding it made her feel supported.
“To be able to get to do something like this with all of these amazing artists was something really incredible for me,” she said.
Lang’s piece, which is on display along the busy street of Stephen Avenue in downtown Calgary until Feb. 28, is titled Abstract Aurora. She said it was the culmination of an idea that was brought to her and her own imagination running wild.
“It was up to me to come up with how I would execute the concept,” she said. “There was lots of practice along with back and forth with others.”
Lang said the project was a collaborative effort, as she is also a full-time university student with a part-time job.
“It was amazing to be able to do this with everyone,” she said.
The piece itself is made out of cardboard columns that stand anywhere from four to 12 feet high. The columns are mounted on a wooden base with an LED light centered in the middle.
In devising the piece, Lang said she really wanted to portray the motion of an Aurora Borealis. She said the theme of light is prevalent throughout the Chinook Blast festival, and that was something she aimed to incorporate.
“That is how I was able to choose the name as well,” she said.
Lang, who first found her artistic talent while studying at W.G. Murdoch School, said there are so many different avenues for art that she doesn’t like to put herself in any particular category. She said growing up in Crossfield and developing her artistic talent allowed her to create relationships with her art teachers.
Throughout her time at W.G. Murdoch, she also competed in and won multiple design competitions across Alberta, and was commissioned to design and paint a series of murals at the school.
“My art teachers – I had about three – were all able to show me very different types of art because they all had their own interests,” she said. “My interests are very broad, so I was really able to appreciate that. I don’t think I could have gotten better education in art at any other school.”
Now graduated from high school, Lang is in her first year of post-secondary studies at the University of Lethbridge, where she is pursuing a combined degree in fine arts and education. She said her goal is to be an art teacher.
“My art teachers inspired me to follow in their footsteps,” she said
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
