New northeast playground city’s 300th piece of public art

A new playground in the Balwin neighbourhood marks an exciting milestone for the Edmonton Arts Council. CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach reports.

The Edmonton Arts Council, a non-profit organization that supports the city’s arts community and manages its public art, unveiled Piney’s Playground on Friday afternoon in Balwin. — A northeast neighbourhood is now home to Edmonton’s 300th piece of public art.

The Edmonton Arts Council, a non-profit organization that supports the city’s arts community and manages its public art, unveiled Piney’s Playground on Friday afternoon in Balwin. The playground designed in collaboration with artist AJA Louden is the 300th artwork in the city’s Public Art collection. The joint effort is a first for Edmonton.

The space inspired by nature and science fiction is located at Balwin Park, 12904 74 St. NW.

Piney’s Playground features Piney P, a character Louden has been painting across the city for years. It’s become his calling card.

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“This is the first time it’s been realized in a fully sculptural form as a piece of public art, so this is a really exciting milestone for me,” Louden told CTV News Edmonton on Friday.

“It’s so cool to see, almost like a theme park for Piney that has a lot of things for the kids to do that revolve around this story of Piney arriving in a city and growing a playground for kids.”

He said he hopes the playground will be used and enjoyed for decades to come

“I hope that this reflects some of the community’s story,” Louden said. “I hope that the kids get to see a little bit of their own culture and history and start thinking about an even brighter future.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Marek Tkach