Join us for the unveiling of Kylie Fineday and Michelle Sylvestre’s public artwork, created over the course of STEPS RECLAIM Public Art Residency Program for Alberta Culture Days. Meet the artists behind the work, enjoy refreshments, and connect with the community.

STEPS Public Art – RECLAIM Public Art Residency Unveiling
Friday, September 22, 2023
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
SAAG

Join us for the unveiling of Kylie Fineday and Michelle Sylvestre’s public artwork, created over the course of STEPS RECLAIM Public Art Residency Program for Alberta Culture Days. Meet the artists behind the work, enjoy refreshments, and connect with the community. This event is free to attend.

Kylie Fineday is a nehiyaw (Plains Cree) artist and curator from Sweetgrass First Nation, Saskatchewan. Currently based in Lethbridge, Alberta, Fineday completed the BFA-Art Studio program at the University of Lethbridge in 2020 with great distinction, an honours thesis, and the Faculty of Fine Arts Gold Medal. Fineday’s art practice often focuses on themes of personal identity and family history, as well as addressing social issues and injustices, particularly those affecting Indigenous peoples in Canada. Fineday’s material practice is multidisciplinary, and includes drawing, photography, performance, sculpture, and textiles such as sewing and beadwork. Fineday has exhibited work in various institutions in Lethbridge, Alberta, and has also worked on multiple curatorial projects within the community.

Michelle Sylvestre was born in Camrose, Treaty 6 Territory, Alberta, Canada in 1982. She completed an Art BFA (2017) and New Media MFA (2021), from the University of Lethbridge. Recently Sylvestre completed a public artwork consisting of thousands of handmade ceramic tiles at Legacy Park Pavilion commissioned by the City of Lethbridge and Allied Arts Council. As a multidisciplinary artist, her practice often focuses on the intersection of technology, craft, and identity, often employing traditional and digital mediums. Sylvestre is an artist and educator based in Lethbridge, Treaty 7 Territory, Alberta where she is a Sessional Instructor at the University of Lethbridge.

STEPS Public Art fosters dynamic and inclusive communities through public art and creative placemaking. We transform urban spaces into vibrant places through cultural planning, community arts and artist capacity building programs. STEPS works with organizations and cities across Canada to create welcoming public spaces that reflect the local communities through artistic excellence. We are proud to have produced some of Canada’s largest and most community- engaged art initiatives.

This residency program is made possible by the STEPS Public Art. The reception event is made possible by Alberta Culture Days Celebration Site grant. We thank the Government of Alberta for supporting this program.