{"id":855511,"date":"2026-08-12T15:52:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/855511\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T15:52:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T15:52:13","slug":"rolling-out-the-art-shutters-get-a-bold-new-creative-makeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/855511\/","title":{"rendered":"Rolling out the art: Shutters get a bold new creative makeover"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br class=\"clr\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"posted\">By Lethbridge Herald on August 12, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SHUTTERS-IMG_2711-400x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"  \/>A roll shutter at Fee Simple Law features local artist Sheila Shaw\u2019s \u201cA Sense of D\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu\u201d as part of the Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge\u2019s Art After Hours pilot project. (HERALD PHOTO BY ALEJANDRA PULIDO-GUZMAN)<\/p>\n<p>Alejandra Pulido-Guzman<\/p>\n<p>LETHBRIDGE HERALD<\/p>\n<p>The Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge, through their Lethbridge Public Art Program, has partnered with the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ to bring Art After Hours to businesses around the city that use commercial security roll shutters to display art on them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Since roll shutters are often most visible after businesses close, the Art After Hours is aiming to turn them into temporary public artworks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Executive director of the AACL, Steven Foord said the pilot project began last year, to find a way to use the roll shutters as a form of expression of public art.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA way of bringing some vibrancy when some of the businesses have closed,\u201d said Foord.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fee Simple Law took on the pilot project last September and their roll shutters feature local artist Sheila Shaw\u2019s A Sense of D\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu.<\/p>\n<p>Lawyer and partner at Fee Simple Law, Matthew McHugh said when they first installed the roll shutters, he saw them as beautiful canvas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I thought, maybe we could do something with it. So. I\u2019m really happy to be part of this pilot project, to work with the artists, and to have it come together,\u201d said McHugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He shared that the design was inspired by some historical maps of the city and the artist\u2019s interpretation of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur office has always had a theme of historical maps and historical buildings, so this is based off of one of those historical maps,\u201d said McHugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A Call for Expressions of Interest is now open to artists and eligible businesses\/building owners. The program aims to complete approximately five additional shutter projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI highly encourage any other business to do it,\u201d said McHugh.<\/p>\n<p>Eligible sites are not limited to downtown, they may also be in the adjacent warehouse district north of 3 Avenue South and west of 13 Street South. Sites must have existing exterior roll shutters that are in good condition, publicly visible, and accessible.<\/p>\n<p>Fabrication and installation are planned for spring 2027, with projects intended to be complete by June 30, 2027. Vinyl artworks have an estimated minimum lifespan of three to five years.<\/p>\n<p>The program supports local artists, strengthens neighbourhood identity and a sense of place, creates a more welcoming public realm, extends the life of shutters and can help deter graffiti.<\/p>\n<p>More information about the Artist Call and Business Expression of Interest are available at publicartlethbridge.ca.<\/p>\n<p>18<br \/> -17\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<br class=\"clr\"\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Lethbridge Herald on August 12, 2026. A roll shutter at Fee Simple Law features local artist Sheila&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":855512,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,356,75],"class_list":["post-855511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=855511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/855512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=855511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=855511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=855511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}