Two Art Installations to Brighten Downtown Calgary After Design Win

Calgary: Two cool art installations are coming to downtown Calgary soon. They won a design contest held by the city and the Chinook Blast festival.

The winners, ‘Serenity Passage’ and ‘Dot Spot’, were picked from a bunch of entries in the 2025 Winter City Design Competition. This contest started back in 2021 to inspire artists and designers to rethink Calgary’s outdoor spaces for winter fun.

Kate Zago, the Project Lead, shared that Calgary’s success depends on making downtown a lively spot for everyone, all year round. She’s excited to partner with Chinook Blast again to showcase these imaginative designs that will brighten up the cold months.

‘Serenity Passage’ will be set up at 826 8 Avenue SW from January 15 to April 15. It features over 200 beautiful blown glass rondels made with local glass artists. These rondels create a stunning archway that’s seven feet tall and five feet wide, welcoming everyone, no matter their mobility.

When you walk through ‘Serenity Passage’, you’ll step into a glowing glass dome, all wrapped in plexiglass. Leah Pertucci, the lead designer, can’t wait for Calgarians to see the beauty of glass blowing through her work. She hopes it sparks conversations and connections among people in a fresh way.

On the other hand, Joshua Clarke, one of the minds behind ‘Dot Spot’, is all about bringing people together through design. He’s thrilled to introduce ‘Dot Spot’ as a new hangout in downtown Calgary, where folks can gather and enjoy winter together.

‘Dot Spot’ will pop up on the Bow River Pathway near 6 Street SW starting in February. Its design is inspired by childhood memories of tobogganing, featuring a repurposed sled that rotates in a pavilion.

The contest saw over three dozen submissions, and Chinook Blast will run downtown from January 31 to February 17. For more details, check out chinookblast.ca.