A local artist group known as Art Works for Wild Spaces has recently taken up the practice of “yarn bombing” in order to get their message out to the people of the Crowsnest Pass.
The group was started by local artists who value the views and landscapes of Southern Alberta, and oppose the development of projects, such as the proposed Micrex magnetite open pit mine near Burmis, which could irreparably damage the landscape and wildlife habitats in the area.
The group is currently getting the message out by dressing trees and boulders in environmentally significant areas, such as Flumerfelt Park, near the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, and near Hwy 3 in Coleman, with knitted afghan blankets, an art form known as yarn bombing.
The practice of yarn bombing, also known as guerrilla knitting or yarn storming, is a form of street art which has been utilized in major urban centres for several years as a way to personalize cold or sterile outdoor public spaces, by decorating bus benches, light poles, street signs and other structures with knitting.
It is thought to have originated in Texas, and has since spread to cities like Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Montreal, Seattle, Portland, Boston, New York City, and throughout the rest of the continent and much of the world.
It is a passive form of graffiti which can last for years, and the instillations do not physically deface the structures they adorn, and can be easily removed.
“We started talking about this idea in late September and it gathered momentum,” said AWWS member Barbara Amos.
In January, the group was comprised of four artists – Amos, Karen Tamminga-Patton, Lynnette Jessop, and Nichole Yanota – and has since expanded as other local artists have become involved.