In early 2021, the mural artists involved in Pink Flamingo’s Black Lives Matter Mural Project were invited to respond to a new commission by Canadian composer Laura Hawley. Hear it come to life on 1 October at the Jack Singer Concert Hall when the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus perform the piece set to the murals.
Harley Burden
Harley Burden (anishinaabe name, Gin g’ba g’was) is from Nipissing First Nation and lives and works in Treaty 7 territory. She grew up in Northern Ontario, going to powwow and ceremonies since before she could remember. She has been making art since childhood and has had the pleasure of helping bring other people’s visions to life. She does graphic design, digital art, and is exploring using traditional anishinaabe art style to help with collective and personal grieving and healing.
Roger Garcia
Roger Garcia is a self-taught professional illustrator and art educator based out of Edmonton. A refugee from El Salvador, his parents always believed in being humble, never forgetting your roots, and giving back to the community — which is why he’s been involved in the local community for over 20 years sharing his skills with children, adults, and newcomers.
Olivia Johnson
Olivia Johnson is a Calgary based artist who explores the mediums of paint, assemblage sculpture, graphic design, illustration, and video production. Her work is presented through several lenses — addressing themes of intergenerational trauma and how art can work towards a mode of healing for marginalized populations. She recently participated in BUMP Road Works and containR Fest. Her artwork can be found in Sunnyside.
Destiny Kirumira
Destiny Kirumira is a Black visual artist and architect. In 2018, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Physics and in 2021 she completed her Master of Architecture. She is pursuing her Ph.D. at McGill University, which centers on the architecture of Black settlements in Canada. Destiny’s work attempts to uproot and reconcile the roots of racism with an emphasis on Black spaces and narratives. Her art poses questions surrounding race, gender, and politics to bring attention to some of the world’s most grotesque injustices.
SJ Okemow
SJ Okemow is a multidisciplinary artist of Nehiyaw and Eastern European descent. Her work and practice has focused on the unseen, using her background in science as a gateway into animation and imagemaking. She has a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Science, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. looking at visual aesthetics in medicine.
Elsa Robinson
Elsa Robinson is a Jamaican-Canadian multimedia artist living in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). Her decades-long artistic practice has imbued her work with vibrancy, versatility, and an intuitive spiritual poignancy. In the mural Our Black Ancestors, Elsa celebrates the roots of the African Diaspora community in Alberta. Elsa holds the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Art and Design from the University of Alberta and Master of Fine Arts from Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Pink Flamingo and the Calgary Phil present I Rise on 1 October.
For more details and to buy tickets, visit the Event Page.