Public Art

Alanna Knobben - Community Member

Alanna Knobben is the founder of Carry You With Me, an international speaker, grief educator, and author with a passion for connection, creativity, and community. Her work weaves storytelling, design, and facilitation to support individuals in navigating love, loss, and life through meaningful experiences. Driven by interests in colour, design, and connection, Alanna is excited to contribute to amplifying public art in Olds and Area. Alanna is a member of the Olds Art Club and looks forward to revitalizing familiar projects and supporting new creative expressions in the community.

“I love public art not just for its beauty, but for the conversations and connections it sparks. From the collaborative energy that plants the initial idea, to the creativity poured into its design, placement, and unveiling - every step invites community. Once in place, public art continues to speak, whether it’s loved or debated, it draws attention, invites dialogue, and often becomes a landmark that puts a town on the map." 

Amy Lee - Community Member

Amy Lee is a long time hairstylist and the owner/operator of Olds Town Square - a collective space in Uptowne Olds that has a full service hair salon, yoga studio, coffee/kombucha bar, event space + locally sourced shopping. In the early stages of being in business a beautiful mural painted on the outside of Olds Town Square by Kevin Johnston. The gorgeous 'Blue Heron' piece created a great landmark out of what once was the Olds Train Station + truly helped bring the Uptowne core to life.  A year later another mural was commissioned by Uptowne Olds + Kevin Johnston - the 'Koi Fish' mural adorns the building beside OTS on Olds Liquor and Beer. The excitement of these projects + the beauty it brought to Main Street inspired Amy to become involved with Uptowne Olds and more recently joining PACO to bring life to the community of Olds + bring the community together!

“I love how public art brings people together - not only  in the planning + execution of the project, but for all those who gather to the art to adore it as long as it’s available to be viewed. I think art has a way of drawing attention + beauty to regular spaces, and helps accentuate the diversity of a community!”

Lori-Jo Graham - Community Member

Lori-Jo Graham is a proud booster of public art. Among her favorite pieces is the "The Red Paper Clip" (also known as "The Spire") at the University of Calgary, where her family has celebrated their academic achievements across two generations. As well as the “By the Banks of the Bow” at the Calgary Stampede Grounds, with its collection of bronzed statues of 15 named horses and two riders each representing a piece of horse history. She loves to see people interacting with the life-sized statues, even hopping aboard the lower horse statues to pose for pictures.

With a Master of Environmental Design in Urban and Regional Planning, Lori-Jo values the role of public art in placemaking, economic development, cultural celebration, and beatification. As one of the founding members of the Olds Public Art Advisory Committee and now a PACO member, she actively contributes to the community's artistic landscape. Her volunteer efforts extend to contributing to land and nature conservation. 

Lori-Jo believes that public art enriches our community. Lori-Jo enjoys biking or driving along side the Olds Sculpture Pathway, where she particularly admires "The White Bison," a good luck symbol and a reminder of the importance of respect for nature and interconnectedness of all living beings and "The Hand" holding a pearl earth symbolizing hope and harmony. She encourages everyone to connect with PACO on social media and take part in our activities.

Jillian Toellner - Town Representative

Jillian Toellner brings a deep connection to Olds and a lifelong passion for creativity to her role on the Public Art Committee. After growing up in Olds and spending two decades away, she was drawn back, in part, by the vibrant public art around town. Seeing Olds embrace art in public spaces affirmed it as a place where creativity is valued and where a progressive, community-minded spirit is encouraged.

With a strong background in theatre, dance, performance, and community building, Jillian has long been a champion for the arts. She sits on the board of the Kiwanis Performing Arts Centre and founded TACO—Theatre Arts & Creativity in Olds—to help amplify and connect local creative initiatives.

To Jillian, public art is more than decoration - It’s a way to connect, to heal, and to express shared humanity without the need for words. She believes creativity is an expression of boundless optimism, and that public art opens up space for curiosity, reflection, and belonging.

Rather than pointing to one specific piece of art, Jillian draws inspiration from the many works she’s encountered while living abroad, travelling overseas, and traipsing around North America. She especially enjoys interactive pieces—ones you can touch, climb, or experience physically—because they invite people of all ages to play, wonder, and engage.

Interested in joining the Public Art Committee of Olds?  Email jtoellner@olds.ca

Days End : Under the golden sunset the world slows - just a cowboy and his horse at days end by Chantal Thorburn

ARTIST BIO:

Chantal Thorburn is a self-employed artist based in Olds, Alberta, where she blends her love for nature, farm life, and creativity into every piece she creates. Working from her therapy farm, Chantal finds inspiration in the quiet rhythms of rural living — from the personalities of her animals to the shifting prairie skies. Her work often explores the connections between humans, animals, and the natural world, captured through painting, photography, and mixed media. When she’s not in the studio, you’ll find her in the field — camera in hand, boots in the dirt, always observing.

Aurora Over Olds by Sarah Manton

Northern Lights stretch across the night sky above a harvested hay field.

ARTIST BIO:

Photography has been my passion since the age of seven, capturing the beauty of our natural landscapes. I've called Olds home for the past six years, where I serve proudly on the Olds Fire Dept. Beyond the lens and OFD, I am a devoted wife and mother, I spend nearly all of my free time outdoors and I am active as a volunteer with the Olds Amateur Football Association.

Cow and Community by Thomas Miko

In this photo, I have highlighted the Town of Olds, and some of the key components of our rich heritage. The art displayed on the photo provides many great examples of our towns history from its Indigenous roots, to our pioneer settlers. Along the bottom displayed is our historical Main Street. In this photo, I have highlighted the Town of Olds, and some of the key components of our rich heritage. The photo with the bovine Canadian, reflects our small towns great history of farming and ranching. The art displayed on the photo provides many great examples of our towns history from its Indigenous roots, to our pioneer settlers. Along the bottom displayed is our historical main street.

ARTIST BIO:

Thomas Miko loves the smell of markers, and Grouchy Daddy’s pizza. 

Pollinator on Red Clove by Yvonne Kennedy

ARTIST BIO:

Yvonne's creed is to live as gently as she can. Her joy is in the love of nature and joy in simplicity. She's an individual fortunate to have one exceptional horse in a life-time and two exceptionally intelligent mares as personal friends at different stages of life.  Her hobbies include travel, and photographing cultures around the world. Her quest as a minimalist is to experience rather than consume and she seeks self-growth through interesting challenges and opportunities.   

Red Barn by Jaeme Redgwell

Red Barn/Jaeme Redgwell

Jaeme created this vibrant painting to capture a classic red barn set in the rural landscapes of Alberta. Bold colors and stylized clouds fill the sky with energy, evoking a dramatic prairie sunset. With its graphic lines and rich contrasts, the piece blends folk charm with a modern twist on Alberta’s iconic farmland scenery.

ARTIST BIO:

Jaeme Redgwell lives in a rural farming community in Central Alberta, Canada. Surrounded by nature and deeply rooted in a creative lifestyle, she has loved the arts for as long as she can remember. Alongside her husband Trevor, she raised three children, balancing family life with a passion for traditional skills such as knitting, crochet, quilting, cooking, and food preservation—skills that have been central to her rural experience.

Now that her children are grown, Jaeme has been able to devote more time to her first love: visual art. Inspired by the world around her—from animals to the mountains and everything in between—she finds endless sources of beauty and meaning in her natural surroundings. Her home and environment continue to be an enduring muse.

Art, for Jaeme, is both a creative outlet and a deeply personal healing process. Primarily working with acrylics, she has explored a variety of media, always driven by curiosity and a desire to grow.

“Painting allows me a platform to connect directly with my inner self. I can change my medium and focus to suit my whims. Art is a process of change and growth that allows me to harvest what my soul needs—it doesn’t entertain boredom. Each time I put an instrument to its place, I learn something. This is what life is meant to be.”

It is this dynamic and evolving journey of expression that fuels her artistic practice. With every piece, Jaeme seeks not only to reflect her inner world but to create work that resonates with others.

Barrie Lake Surrounded by Nature by Veronica Reist

With a short drive outside of Olds, you will discover a Wetlands, Barrie Lake. An ecosystem that is filled with bird life and so much more. The farm land that surrounds the lake, adds a touch of beauty with every season to enjoy also. Pick up your binoculars or camera and take a short country drive to a little hidden paradise that will fill you with mother nature. This fall evening, I witnessed with my camera a flock of pelicans fly in for the night.

ARTIST BIO:

Veronica is a passionate and creative photographer from Olds, Alberta. As a young adult she loved exploring nature and her own creativity through photos. However, it was not until her children grew and left home that Veronica truly pursued her inner passion. 

On a trip to South America in 2007, Veronica started in earnest, to explore all the possibilities concerning photography. Landscape, Wildlife, Family Portraits and Events are some of her favorites, and now in the last few years has ventured in to Creative form of Abstract Photo Art.   

For Veronica, spending time with photography is like spending time with a best friend. She gives herself permission everyday to photograph, learn more, and teach others the joy of photography through her photo workshops and classes. 

Veronica’s love for photography gives her much more than simply photos. On a personal level it takes back to her explorations as a child, and now she dedicates time and passion capturing and sharing her Photo Art of the natural beauty that surrounds her everyday, with others around the world. 

Your Home is in Your Eyes by Charlotte McDonnell

Your Home is in Your Eyes/Charlotte McDonnell

All roots seem to lead to a farm and a simpler way of life. Olds, a farming community reflects that.

ARTIST BIO:

I started painting rocks with my young grandson Seth when he came out camping with my husband Carl and I. When he got bored with it I decided to take a class and it was through continued adult education in Airdrie with Wes Jones. That was in 2020 and I’ve been painting ever since. I use acrylics on canvas but I’m looking forward to trying water colour and oils. It’s never too late to try something new and step out of your comfort zone! 

Nixdorff Hereford by Crystal Fullerton

An oil portrait based on a photograph I had taken during a Sunday drive. I came across a field of Hereford bulls and this fellow caught my eye. 

ARTIST BIO:

Crystal Fullerton is an oil portraiture specialist from Olds, Alberta, and has been painting what she knows and loves-animals. Her unique eye captures the beauty in each muse and she understands the importance of showcasing the hard work that goes into breeding Champion livestock. Her love of animals has been a consuming focus for most of her artistic career. She has been commissioned by large organizations such as Jersey Canada as well as private collectors throughout North America and overseas. For information on commissioning Crystal for your own portrait, contact her through Facebook at Crystal Fullerton Fine Art.

Girls in Field by Meghan Unger

ARTIST BIO:

Coming soon!

Faces and Places by Thomas Miko

This photo represents Olds, Alberta and our country Canada. The railway not only ties all of our small community's together all across Canada but also has great meaning to the history of our town.  The photo background of the trains along with the faces drawn overtop, represents Olds, Alberta and our country Canada. The railway not only ties all of our small communities together all across Canada but also has great meaning to the history of our town. With Olds being the sixth siding in the original Canadian railway. The Locomotive shown on the left side of the photo also happens to be a Canadian Pacific Heritage engine. The drawings overlayed are to display a variety of unique individuals, which this town is definitely full of! (in a very positive way) lol. Olds is and has been a home for many different people from all over the world. 

ARTIST BIO:

Thomas Miko loves the smell of markers, and Grouchy Daddy’s pizza. 

Fox Tail : The sun whispers goodnight through fields of fiery foxtail by Chantal Thorburn

ARTIST BIO:

Chantal Thorburn is a self-employed artist based in Olds, Alberta, where she blends her love for nature, farm life, and creativity into every piece she creates. Working from her therapy farm, Chantal finds inspiration in the quiet rhythms of rural living — from the personalities of her animals to the shifting prairie skies. Her work often explores the connections between humans, animals, and the natural world, captured through painting, photography, and mixed media. When she’s not in the studio, you’ll find her in the field — camera in hand, boots in the dirt, always observing.

No Hoof, No Horse by Yvonne Kennedy

ARTIST BIO:

Yvonne's creed is to live as gently as she can. Her joy is in the love of nature and joy in simplicity. She's an individual fortunate to have one exceptional horse in a life-time and two exceptionally intelligent mares as personal friends at different stages of life.  Her hobbies include travel, and photographing cultures around the world. Her quest as a minimalist is to experience rather than consume and she seeks self-growth through interesting challenges and opportunities.   

Olds Winter Heritage Spirit by Veronica Reist

Our Winter Heritage Village at the Centennial Park in Olds, is a treasure we all enjoy every time winter arrives. Thanks to all the many volunteers who spend their time, preserving the village, putting it up and taking it down every year. When winter arrives many from our community, look forward to walk the pathways at our park to take in some Heritage Spirit , of our winter display from our past.

ARTIST BIO:

Veronica is a passionate and creative photographer from Olds, Alberta. As a young adult she loved exploring nature and her own creativity through photos. However, it was not until her children grew and left home that Veronica truly pursued her inner passion. 

On a trip to South America in 2007, Veronica started in earnest, to explore all the possibilities concerning photography. Landscape, Wildlife, Family Portraits and Events are some of her favorites, and now in the last few years has ventured in to Creative form of Abstract Photo Art.   

For Veronica, spending time with photography is like spending time with a best friend. She gives herself permission everyday to photograph, learn more, and teach others the joy of photography through her photo workshops and classes. 

Veronica’s love for photography gives her much more than simply photos. On a personal level it takes back to her explorations as a child, and now she dedicates time and passion capturing and sharing her Photo Art of the natural beauty that surrounds her everyday, with others around the world. 

Pioneer Elevator by Darla Krover

ARTIST BIO:

From the rock-lined shores of Ontario to the wide-open prairies beneath the mountains, I’ve come to see place not only in geography but in the rhythm of ordinary life. Each change in landscape reminds me how belonging is felt as much as it is seen.

Through pen & ink and watercolour, I evoke everyday nostalgia—like flipping through an old postcard collection. I create scenes that feel familiar yet just out of reach, inviting the viewer to find themselves in the story.