The Green Footprints Project is a community based public art project supported by The City of Calgary Public Art program in partnership with Community Wise Resource Centre and the Arusha Centre.
The project had a large focus on cultural community development. In english, that means that the targeted community group was involved from start to finish in the process. It aimed to highlight the diversity and connections between user of the Old Y building and their relationship to this special building and it’s community.
We first interviewed the users of the building, asking them to trace their routes to the location and taking photos of their shoes. From that visual information, we created a piece of art that now hangs in the building’s lobby.
From the routes collected, we took to the streets and printed bio degradable footprints on the sidewalks leading to the building.
Finally, we invited the local community and the users to celebrate with us during a garden party where all could create planters out of second hand footwear. We partnered up with the Calgary Drop In Centre who donated footwear that did not find takers amongst the local homeless population.
It was super fun, every part of it, and we got to know some really fascinating and generous people amongst the users of the Old Y. Most renters being non-for-profits organizations that make a huge difference in people’s lives.