'Every Person is a Window to a New World'
And aren't they! Our large outdoor Collective Mural focus on a variety of issues in a colorful and inviting way. Social justice, inclusion and human dignity. Throughout the pandemic many of these were highlighted and we hope as a community these changes will continue to evolve and create a world in which our differences make us unique and our perspectives of others are based in open minded curiosity and a desire to understand to see life though another's eyes and to remember that we are all more similar than different despite our cultures, sexual preference, gender identity, religion, origin or socioeconomic status.
The mural consists of the collective work of five BTS artists (Kyle Schneider, Jen Schier, Sarah Radomsky, Kaitlynn Copithorne) who create elements inspired by the theme above then our Artistic Director Kyle Schneider more formally known as Hamburger Hands compiled the designs to create a cohesive and unique design that aims to share the windows of many worlds. As a reflection of experience, the combined mural includes everything from feminism and gender roles, to racism and socioeconomic struggles, different body types, different roles of motion and inclusion.
The mural was then executed by a collection of studio members and friends. It was completed in 37 days.
Thank you to all our supporters; Doug Wong, The City of Calgary, Khalid Omokanye, Darjusz Bukovski, Craig Evans, Mike, Lisa Davis, Trevor, our workshop participants and members.
Contributing Artists
Kaitlynn Copithorne
"I wanted to bring attention to Calgary's animal residents, both domestic and wild. It's easy in urban centers to feel disconnected from the natural world, but paying attention to our animal neighbours helps us remember that wildness can be found everywhere and should be nurtured and respected.”
Jen Schier
"Every person is a window to a new world” means inclusivity through thoughtfulness. We realize the more we learn, the less we know. Each person we interact with has the potential to open our eyes in a unique way and shift our perspective. Through consideration of another person’s background, experiences and individual thought, we get a chance to witness the world or an aspect of society through another's gaze. When we consider someone else's perspective with respect, curiosity and openness, we build on what our world means. We’re able to see things we weren’t able to before. “
Sarah Radomsky
"My contribution to our collective mural design and application was with an aim to create an engaging community space. I am proud that our fantastic team fulfilled our goals by beautifying the neighborhood and attracting people to the area.”
Kyle Schneider
“In a year when the world at large has felt massively in a state of flux, it was a pleasure to create some inclusive and colourful public facing artwork. It was my goal to create a tableau of a some key aspects of Calgary that make it wonderful place to live and include some of it’s finest artists in the process. I found the phrase “Every Person is a Window to a New World” infinitely exciting and set to the task of creating a winding pathway full of artwork to surround it:
Sarah Slaughter took care of creating some local plants, Kaitlynn Kopithorne made all of the of the animals, Jen Shier created the flowing monoline lettering, and I (Kyle Schneider) created the people and set all the pieces in place. This was a dream gig and as a huge fan of murals, it was a delight to make this – the biggest piece I have created to date. I’m honoured to create this artwork on Treaty 7 land, acknowledge that it wouldn’t exist without the efforts of the B&ILM community, and thank the city of Calgary for funding this amazing project.”
Workshop
We were so honoured to host a workshop and share the knowledge and skills required with 5 up-and-coming artists, Hartley Fiala, Joe Heindl, Monica Ila, Leana Rose, Sam Charette, Josee Palacio. Workshop instruction Ryan Smitham let a two day course with a mix on in class and hands on activities. Teaching is such an imperative responsibility of those who came before to share the skill and knowledge of the past with the new generation. We hope to have more workshops in the future! Some quotes from the participants below;
What the participants are saying
"It was a great experience towards and not only for expanding my knowledge on murals. Also getting to know other people and the community as a new person to the city!” "I learned I could work in +30 heat faster due to paint drying faster, but was disappointed when the temperature when back to normal (20c) making the paint dry slower. The nerve of nature right?” - @itsreallyjust_no
— Hartley Fiala
“Participating in Burnt Toast Studio’s mural workshop was a great introduction to the history, techniques, and logistics involved in making a large scale murals happen. Ryan led our workshop with great energy and enthusiasm, and quickly got the group up to speed and excited to get painting! It was a fun weekend and I really enjoyed meeting and working with the other artists from the workshop, as well as the others who came to help out on this gigantic mural, great energy!” @joeheindl
— Joe Heindl
“The workshop exceeded my expectations! I had an awesome time and loved painting alongside the artists of Burnt Toast Studio. Our teacher Ryan was incredibly helpful, knowledgeable and kind. It had been a long time since I’d been in such a positive and collaborative environment with other artists.” @monica.ila
— Monica IIa
"I was one of the fortunate artists selected to participate in the Mural Painting workshop hosted by Burnt Toast Studio's in June. It was a pleasure of an experience, both through being able to reconnect with the arts community and because it was a valuable learning opportunity! Working alongside Ryan, Karolina, and the other participating artists was so much fun and the practical experience of being able to help paint the mural on the second floor of the building was an insightful look at what mural painting is really like. Thanks to all who facilitated and took part, it was a wonderful weekend!” - @s_charette
— Samantha Charette
other participants
Leana Rose: @distantfemaleJosee Palacio: @joseepalaciohuete
