
We lit up Centre Street on February 13 and 14 as we debuted the You Belong Art Benches at the Crescent Moon Festival. A total of 10 benches by nine artists supporting eight diversity and inclusion non-profits came together to bring some colour, life and seating to Crescent Heights Village BIA! As a special treat, we lit all 10 benches with LED lights put together by the amazing folks at Fuse33 Makerspace.
With temperatures reaching -30 C that weekend, few were daring enough to make it out for the launch, so we decided to offer a reprise the following Saturday to get some pictures and video and give folks the chance to enjoy the art in more humane conditions!
We had some great participation by BIA businesses including Aleppo, Koi Fresh Fruits, Papa John’s, Truedan, Vivaan’s Yummies, Urban Thrift, Bambu, Pho Anh Huyen, Centre St. Auto and Two Pillars Brewery – who even named a limited edition brew Crescent Moon!
Thanks to our generous sponsors at Scotiabank, Telus, Chinook Blast and the City of Calgary who helped make it all happen. While the benches are no longer lit, they remain in the neighbourhood for all to enjoy.
We also had some wonderful participation from the community to came out to enjoy the benches, support local businesses and act as our gorgeous models for the photo and video shoots! You guys look great.
Video by: Qruz Studios
Photos by: Arwin Alcaraz