Princess Island Park, Eau Claire and Chinatown

Our teams Jane’s Walk took place in the Princess Island Park, Eau Claire and Chinatown area. While all of us have previously visited these areas we had never participated in a Jane’s Walk. The experience made us hyper-aware of our surroundings. Instead of experiencing the downtown area in passing we gave ourselves the opportunity to experience the culture, history and art that surrounded us. We found that we had previously passed by numerous artwork, items of cultural significance and beautiful streetscape that we had never taken the time to properly appreciate. It was disappointing to recognize that we had been oblivious to our surroundings.

We were unaware of the significance of Calgary’s Lumber Mill as well as the rich cultural ties the Chinese community has on art and the culture in this area. The plaques we read about the Chinese communities ties to Calgary were nothing less than eye opening.  

Our area of the city was absolutely filled with culture and art, and we were all pleasantly surprised to see historical landmarks in our area. Below is a photo of a café called “1886 Buffalo,” this building took us by awe as it is over 100 years old and has been repurposed to be a café. The fact that this building still stands amongst many modern buildings showcases our cities history.

The picture below features an art installation that leads to the entranceway of a residential building in the heart of Chinatown. It was exciting to see residential buildings embrace the area by installing pieces of art that align with the culture of the area. 

We were overall very pleased with the experience, it taught us to slow down and to pay attention to our surroundings. It also taught us that we must be more inquisitive, by slowing down and taking the time to read the plaques we learnt so much about our cities history.