Image (c): Migration Design
Untold City
What do you think of when you hear the term “affordable housing”? How about “artist housing”? Is it something you would welcome in your neighbourhood?
The Maillot Castle is a private residence comprised of artists. Maillot Homes supports Calgary artists by offering this affordable and inspiring community living space as a two-year pilot project. From drawing sessions to spoken word poetry, this space is seeking to become part of the permanent cultural landscape of our city.
This is the first of a series of membership tours with d.talks. Join us to hear about the building’s history, its journey to become an arts & culture hub, and the challenges it faces in the near future.
Tour led by: Deseré Pressey, a native Albertan, abstract painter, curator and founder of the Maillot Castle Artist Residency. As an active member in her local arts & culture scene, she runs ongoing interdisciplinary art events, providing inclusive gatherings for musicians, visual artists, writers, poets and photographers to co-create in community. As an Art Therapy Facilitator, Deseré believes in the healing benefits of expression through the arts, and as such she provides art experiences, as a wellness practice to individuals and groups.
In conversation with: Sarah Bramley, who works in workplace strategy and innovation at Colliers International in Calgary. With a background in architecture and theatre, she is keenly interested in the intersection of people and their environments, and employs Design Thinking to help her clients get more out of their workspaces. A born-and-raised Calgarian, she has been a dtalks volunteer and committee chair since 2017.
What is Untold City?
Untold City is a new series revealing hidden histories and the architectural gems: the weird, the wild and the uncanny that make up the urban fabric of our city. Each instalment in this series will feature a single unique building and will explore its design, history, uses, and inhabitants.
Through tours and conversations with people who know these buildings best, we will begin to uncover and understand the awesome and inspiring spaces that make Calgary our own. You won’t find these places in a guidebook. Only the locals know. We’ll take you inside.
This series is hosted and produced by Members Extension (m/x), a part of d.talks. The kick-off event will be held on October 28, 2020. To become a member and join future tours, you can find detail here.
A special thanks to volunteers Sarah Bramley, Sukhpreet Kaur, Madyson McKay, Kate van Fraassen and Chair Lindsay Fischer for conceiving and developing this program.