‘A healthy space for artists to grow’: Free Wall YYC pilot launches at The Confluence on Sunday

Zack Beer (from left), Matias Martinez and Bethel Afework stand at Free Wall YYC, days before the Aug. 31 launch party that will see it become 'a healthy space for artists to grow.'

Right now, it’s just some wall around back of The Confluence facing the River Walk, blank white save for the words in yellow, “Free Wall coming soon...”

Soon is this Sunday night.

Amid DJs and dancers, food and friends, spray paint will come out and tags will go up.

Free Wall YYC is a pilot project, a public service for redirecting unsanctioned graffiti and an exercise in creative chaos.

Como se Dice art collective and Alcove Centre for the Arts teamed up with The Confluence to make Free Wall YYC happen.

“A free wall is a space for anybody to come by and practice street art, whether that be graffiti or muralism,” said Matias Martinez, founder of Como se Dice and a mural artist.

“It’s also a way of preventing graffiti from spreading all over.

“There’s not really a healthy space for artists to grow that want to try wall art in any capacity. This is kind of filling a gap that is ever-growing here in Calgary.”

Bethel Afework, founder of Alcove, said street art is a particularly accessible form of art but also particularly criminalized.

“Which is not really fair, but there’s also not a space to do it, and we understand if someone owns a building, they might not want unsanctioned art on it,” Afework said.

In the past, Alcove has done pop-ups with a similar idea to Free Wall YYC and Afework said, “Everyone walks away happy, and everyone wishes it existed more.”

Zack Beer, visitor experience manager at The Confluence, said the people behind the Historic Site and Parkland believe strongly in the value of public art.

“We applied for funding from (Calgary Arts Development) for the community-based public art microgrant so that way, we could build the wall and provide the space for artists,” Beer said.

“To have a space for them to come and express themselves.”

The Free Wall YYC launch party runs Sunday from 6 p.m. to midnight.

The event includes a dance party and vogue show with Pansy Club, as well as a queer market and clothing swap.

There will also be paint—probably a lot of paint.

And there will be other arts and crafts and mingling opportunities, as well as food.

Events are set to run at Free Wall YYC throughout September.

On Sept. 6, there will be a graffiti jam and workshop for kids ages six to 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. and a graffiti jam and workshop for youth ages 12 to 17 from 5 to 7 p.m.

On Sept. 13, there will be an artist mixer and graffiti battle from 6 to 10 p.m.

And the Free Wall YYC final jam will be on Sept. 27 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Details about, and registration for, the latter events are available at the above links. Youth event attendees require a guardian 18 years of age or older.