Art and Culture
Art at YXS
Showcasing local art throughout the Prince George terminal.
The Prince George Airport Authority (PGAA), in partnership with the Prince George & District Arts Council, provides opportunities for local artists to showcase their work within the YXS terminal.
As one of the first and last places people experience when travelling to and from Prince George, YXS provides a unique setting to showcase the creativity and character of our community. Art displayed throughout the terminal helps create a welcoming sense of place while providing local artists with an opportunity to share their work with travellers, residents and visitors alike.
Artwork is displayed in designated locations throughout the terminal and may be rotated periodically to provide opportunities for different artists and works to be featured. All proposed artwork is subject to approval by the Prince George Airport Authority.
Artists interested in having their work displayed at the Prince George Airport, are encouraged to contact Lisa Redpath of the Prince George Arts Council for more information on the selection process. She can be reached at 250.562.4526 or by email at [email protected].
Photography in the terminal
The local chapter of the Professional Photographers of Canada and the PG Photo Club have been invited to display their work on a digital screen in the Prince George Airport terminal. The collection features a variety of images, including floral shots, local landscapes, portraits, and scenes reflecting the photographers’ diverse interests.
The photos are updated every few months, and a list of photographers is featured in a frame below the screen. Those interested in purchasing a print can reach out to the individual photographers directly.
For more information on this program, email Debbie Malm at [email protected].
Spirit of the Games
The ‘Spirit of the Games’ mural represents northern British Columbia and is a legacy of the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
It tells the region’s story, celebrates our heritage and ignites our future. This public art piece was unveiled October 1, 2014 at the Prince George Airport .
Artist: Greg Grinch Gislason
The Prince George & District Community Arts Council and the Prince George Airport Authority, in partnership with the 2015 Canada Winter Games, unveiled the ‘Spirit of the Games’ Mural painted on the exterior arrivals wall of the Prince George Airport on October 1, 2014.
“It is exciting to see the cultural component of the Games starting to take shape,” said Coralee Oakes, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. “Greg’s mural is a fitting tribute to the land and people of the North and it is wonderful to see his vision realized.”
“When visitors arrive in Prince George for the 2015 Canada Winter Games they will be greeted by Greg’s mural – a welcoming sign that will exist in our community long after the 2015 Games have concluded,” says Mayor Shari Green of Prince George. “As a community, we will be benefiting long-term from the legacy projects of the 2015 Games. This mural leaves an indelible mark on the Prince George Airport.”
“We are completely blown away with the finished piece and we are so proud it will be on display at YXS for years to come,” says Prince George Airport Authority President and CEO John Gibson. “Greg’s talent is top notch and we are beyond thrilled to add this piece to our art collection. The ‘Spirit of the Games’ will be a conversation piece for many travellers coming and going through YXS and is a great way to learn about our region’s past, present and future.”
In July, Gislason was announced as the successful northern British Columbia artist of the ‘Spirit of the Games’ project. His mural features well-known landmarks and icons of Prince George, after undergoing three weeks of design concepts and countless hours of research with Prince George historians and local experts.
“When I heard about this project I knew I had to enter and I just knew I had to win,” says Greg Gislason, ‘Spirit of the Games’ artist. “I did a ton of research on northern BC and learned a lot about the region and the people who make this place so great. I tried to include everything because I want the people who walk by it to see something new or different each time. Not only did I learn a lot, but I’ve met some amazing people doing this mural. I can’t wait to share it with the world.”
“The Prince George & District Arts Council is happy to have been able to facilitate the creation of this amazing mural ‘Spirit of the Games’, for the community and by a community-based artist, Greg Gislason,” says Wendy A. Young, Executive Director, Prince George & District Community Arts Council. “This is a wonderful arts and cultural legacy for Prince George.”
“Greg’s mural will welcome the thousands of visitors to our region for the 2015 Games, remaining as a legacy in the community for the millions who visit after the 2015 Games,” says Stuart Ballantyne, 2015 Canada Winter Games CEO. “This is a unique project, which is one of the many arts and culture opportunities available to northern BC artists as a result of the 2015 Games.”
Celebrating Diversity
‘Celebrating Diversity’ Public Art Piece unveiled June 9, 2012 At the Prince George Airport (YXS).
The Immigrant & Multicultural Services Society of Prince George with its partners Initiatives Prince George and the Chamber of Commerce, unveiled a new public artwork that celebrates diversity at the Prince George Airport.
Artist: Aiden Callison
This artwork is part of Welcome PG’s project work about welcoming and inclusive communities and workplaces within this community. The Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society (IMSS) Executive Director Baljit Sethi said “After living for forty years in Prince George my dream is coming true that diversity is more inclusive, being embraced by this community and now embodied in a public artwork.”
The artwork was selected after a province wide call for proposals was sent out inviting artists to respond to the theme ‘celebrating diversity’. Cat Sivertsen, the Welcome PG Project Manager, said “it was difficult to choose the project because it needed to reflect the theme as well as suit the environment where it would be installed.” The ‘celebrating diversity’ artwork will be created by artist Aiden Callison and permanently located inside the arrivals terminal at the airport as a sculpture suspended from the ceiling between domestic and international arrivals.
Callison, originally from Smithers British Columbia, says “I feel a strong connection to this project and the area because my Grandfather moved to Prince George when he first immigrated to Canada in 1928.” Sivertsen reiterates that “this is a familiar story for people living in Prince George because we are all from another part of the world, the only difference is that some of us have been here longer.” Callison describes his project as a portrait chandelier sculpture. The sculpture has a steel structure resembling the two rivers with suspended glass panels of photographic portraits of past and present Prince George residents. The concept of the sculpture is that people are constantly moving, somewhat like the rivers, and it is this worldwide movement that makes up the diverse fabric of this community and Canada as a whole.
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Prince George Airport Authority (PGAA) John Gibson says “we are both privileged and honored to have been considered and chosen as the site for this remarkable piece of art. The Prince George Airport is often the first impression people have of the City and this piece will help make that a very positive experience.”
Sivertsen acknowledges the help and advice Welcome PG has received from the partners and art advisory committee – a committee made up of representatives from the City, Regional District, Native Friendship Centre, arts and business community as well as the Library and the Airport. This commission is made possible by funding from the Provincial and Federal Governments and the Welcome BC Program which is part of the Ministry of Jobs Tourism and Innovation.