Anyone strolling along the Jack and Jean Leslie RiverWalk, a dedicated pedestrian and cycling space from Centre Street Bridge to 9 Avenue SE, will have new artwork to admire.

Last week, the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC) announced local muralist Alex Kwong as the next artist to be featured along the walkway as part of the organization's Art in the Public Realm placemaking initiative.

Kwong's work will replace the Touch Traces artwork by Cassie Suche, featured on bridge abutments and building surfaces for the last three years. Suche's work will be removed this month, at which point Kwong will begin his own. He is currently spending time engaging with the community to inform his concept and is exploring individual connections to the Bow and Elbow Rivers from a cultural, historical, and recreational lens.

"The rivers hold such meaning and significance to so many Calgarians, and I want to explore what that looks like from a diversity of perspectives," said Kwong. "Each person I've spoken to has a unique story to tell, yet a common thread runs through them all: the river and its surroundings sustain us — emotionally, culturally, physically, and spiritually. That powerful connection is what I aim to reflect in the artwork along RiverWalk."

Kwong will get down to business creating his work on May 16 and is expected to reveal the final work in late June.