Alex Pavlenko fills the downtown Lethbridge landscape with his whimsical art

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The Downtown Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) has worked with local artist, Alex Pavlenko, on a number of art projects over the past few years. The first commissioned piece, 'Gabriel Versus the West Wind', was installed on the north side of the King of Trade (5th Street South) building in 2003. This whimsical mural added some much-needed visual appeal and interest to the colorless laneway. The second piece of artwork entitled 'Destiny Manifesting' (aka 'buffalo mural') was placed on the east side of the Bell Intrigna building (next to Langenberg Optical) on 3rd Avenue in 2004.

Over the years, the Downtown BRZ has attempted to add additional color and vibrancy to the downtown through the use of fabric windsocks. Due to our strong winds and intense sunlight, the lifespan for fabric windsocks was relatively short (usually one season). As a response to this, the BRZ commissioned Alex to build kinetic wind sculptures. These metal sculptures are designed to be part of the downtown landscape for a significantly longer period of time.

The first sculpture, entitled 'Wranglin' Willie', was installed in front of the BRZ office on 6th Street South in 2007. The 'Wranglin' Willie' pilot character spins and bucks on top of the metal 'Wind Eater' windsock. 'Wranglin' Willie' was a huge hit with curious shoppers and visitors and drew a lot of positive attention to our downtown. The latest commissioned sculpture, 'Chinook-a-tron', was installed in September 2009 on 7th Street (near Foster and Sons Jewellers). Look closely in the video as the metal figure slowly turns a crank as the other parts of the sculpture spin and whirl in multiple directions.

The BRZ works closely with the City of Lethbridge Infrastructure Department on finding suitable locations for the installation of murals and wind sculptures. Funding for the installation is provided through the Heart of Our City Master Plan initiative.

Our goal is to install a series of kinetic sculptures in various locations throughout the downtown core. Chemainus, on beautiful Vancouver Island, is well-known for its incredible murals ... we're hoping to someday be famous for our whimsical windsocks.

Cristie Gray creates a heartfelt and meaningful tribute to local veterans

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Artist, Cristie Gray, talks to us about the inspiration for her paintings. They were recently installed on the Army, Navy and Airforce building at the corner of 6th Street and 5th Avenue in downtown Lethbridge. The subject matter has a special meaning for this talented local artist. Cristie is a former Royal Canadian Army cadet officer.

This unique and colorful tribute mural was unveiled to the public during a public ceremony that took place on Saturday, May 16, 2009.

The paintings were commissioned by the Lethbridge unit of the Army, Navy and Airforce Veterans of Canada as a tribute to the brave men and women who have fought and died for our country. The paintings also commemorate the centennial of the ANAF Veterans of Alberta provincial command and the 89th anniversary of our local unit.

Each panel illustrates various eras in our country's military history. The first panel depicts soldiers from the War of 1812, a WWI soldier wearing a gas mask and a Spitfire airplane from WWII. The middle panel features our cenotaph while the third panel shows two contemporary Canadian soldiers, an army tank and a naval destroyer.

Cristie is Fine Arts graduate from the University of Lethbridge where she is currently completing her degree in Education. She is available for other commissions and can be reached through the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ office - 403 327-9002.