Take a stroll through Revelstoke’s Art Alleries

Alleys + art galleries = art alleries

Revelstoke Art Alleries, a collection of artwork found throughout the downtown, is a showcase of how urban design can beautify spaces and create small moments of community joy in the most unlikely places.

Launched in 2019 by Rob Buchanan during LUNA Fest, the series of art pieces creates a free and largely accessible art “gallery” through some of Revelstoke’s alleyways. Buchanan pitched the idea as a way to beautify Revelstoke’s downtown, curb graffiti and light up spaces to deter unwanted behavior.

“The idea was to create a permanent walking tour of back alley culture, for residents and visitors alike, to celebrate our vibrant and growing arts community,” Buchanan said.

With 11 pieces currently on display and a twelfth one to be unveiled during LUNA Fest 2025, Buchanan’s goal that the project would become a legacy piece between Arts Revelstoke and the artist community is holding steady.

“My hope is that the Art Alleries project goes on forever so we can continually celebrate Revelstoke’s creativity,” Buchanan said.

Community impact

From backdrops for wedding photos and tour highlights to classroom fieldtrips and promotional photo backdrops, Revelstoke’s Art Alleries have continued to fuel creativity within the city. 

Frequent traffic along with solar-powered LED lighting over each piece helps train eyes on some of Revelstoke’s secluded areas, achieving the very urban design goal Buchanan had in mind.

“Many of the building owners have told me how the lights have had a huge impact on deterring negative behaviour in the alleys that previously occurred,” Buchanan said.

The addition of Taryn Walker’s piece at the Cantina Del Centro is expanding the Revelstoke Art Alleries collection. Buchanan hopes other artists specializing in other mediums take on the challenge and find a way to create a piece that can survive all Revelstoke throws at it.

“Especially mediums that are traditionally not used for public art. Dance? Poetry? Pieces that are interactive? This is where the fun begins,” Buchanan said.

Revelstoke boasts a range of other art installations throughout town, some also tucked away in alleyways. Though not officially part of the project, Buchanan appreciates all the way Revelstoke shows off its artistic spirit.

“I think collectively they add to the personality and identity of our community. They remind us to stop, look and smile, and are a reflection of the creative spirit that drives Revelstoke.”

A Simple Joy

Artist: Kyle Thornley

Located in the alleyway between the Roxy Theatre and City Furniture & Appliances, this large metal piece captures the joy of blowing the seeds off a dandelion. The seeds float up the side of the brick wall, a delicate feeling to the metal piece. Artist Kyle Thornley combined traditional metalwork techniques with more modern processes to create the durable piece.

Assemblage

Artist: Rob Buchanan

Just behind the RBC bank you’ll find a refurbished take on Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and a pair of red lips, all assembled out of recycled skis and snowboards. Building with material designed for Revelstoke’s harsh winter climate guarantees long lasting pieces.

Contemporary Landscape

Artist: Rob Buchanan

You’ll find these four pieces framing the entrance to The Sound Cellar. The longstanding genre of landscape painting gets a twist with powder-coated aluminum and CNC-cut elements that build a textured piece with layers to the scene. Framed in an ornate piece built from recycled water bottles and sawdust, the four installations capture a familiar winter scene in Revelstoke’s downtown, a salmon run, a train running through a snowstorm and the classic alpine flowers landscape piece.

Canadian Pacific

Artist: Kelly Hutcheson

Tucked in the lower windows of the Cascadia Credit Union – Revelstoke bank, four panels of stained glass capture a Canadian Pacific steam engine and train in motion. The piece challenged Kelly Hutcheson, who’s known for her smaller and more intricate pieces, to create a stained glass piece that could withstand Revelstoke’s climate and capture the same large-scale energy as other Art Allerie pieces.

Flyga

Artist: Leah Allison and Cajsa Fredin

Leah Allision, Big Eddy Glassworks owner and glass blower partnered with Cajsa Fredin, metalworks artist to capture the delicate nature of balloons in flight with materials that will stand the test of time. These multicoloured glass-blown balloons suspend just off the wall across from the Canadian Pacific stained glass piece.

A Friend of a Friend

Artist: Bruno Long

Located on the side of Revelstoke Dental Centre, A Friend of a Friend is Bruno Long’s take on the portrait genre. Three pieces mix together Revelstoke locals new and longstanding in a collection aimed to showcase deeper community connection. The project connected artist Bruno Long with residents he otherwise would have never met in town.

Matriarchal Healer

Artist: Delrée Dumont

Located on the side of Dose Coffee, this tall jingle dress dancer raises eagle feathers above her head to connect with the sun and healing. Painted orange with red ribbon accents, the piece commemorates the Every Child Matters movement and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Coming Home

Artist: Ric Gendron

Found on the side of the Quartermaster Eatery, you’ll be hard pressed to miss the four towering pieces that feature various Sinixt faces with stories connected to the Revelstoke area. An enrolled member of the Arrow Lakes Band of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Nation, Gendron’s piece boldly confirms the Sinixt connection to the region.

I Hugged a Bear in Revelstoke

Artist: Turbo Bambi (Claudia Simon)

It’s highly recommended that you don’t attempt to hug the bears in and around Revelstoke. But if you absolutely must get a squeeze in and a photo to match, head over to Turbo Bambi’s I Hugged a Bear in Revelstoke piece, located on the side of City Furniture. You can’t miss Turbo Bambi’s signature style that captures a mountain range and local fauna.

Flight of Light

Artist: Zuzana Riha

Backlit with LEDs that light up the piece during the night, this large metal piece showcases a stretch of forest and mountain landscape with two birds flying towards the landscape. Catch this piece on the side of the River City Pub and Patio.

Snowpack sLayers

Artist: Jess Leahey

While not technically located within an alleyway anymore, Jess Leahey’s piece captures the spirit behind the Art Alleires. An homage to some of the winter sports that put Revelstoke on the map, Snowpack sLayers is an ever-evolving piece throughout the year as sunlight and shadows change with the seasons. The metalwork piece with its 3D elements creates a miniature ski slope on the side of the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre, where the piece was recently relocated.

(Coming soon)

Artist: Taryn Walker (with David Walker)

The newest piece in the Revelstoke Art Alleries series, this work will be Taryn Walker, mixed-Indigenous artist of Nlaka’pamux, Syilx and European ancestry’s latest addition to Revelstoke’s art scene. With help from their father David Walker, Taryn will create a work focusing on intergenerational connections and Indigenous heritage. Adorning the Cantina Del Centro wall between First and Second Street, the project will be unveiled during LUNA Arts 2025.