Parade of Homes

Sage Creek is a thriving community located on the southeastern edge of Winnipeg. This growing neighbourhood has been thoughtfully designed using architectural guidelines to create streetscapes that allow for creative sightlines throughout the community. Utilizing a variety of home styles, fencing types, landscaping and public art, Sage Creek is an unexpectedly complete and vibrant new community. From towering stone pillars that mark the wetlands to whimsical willow tunnels, a variety of public art pieces are strategically interwoven throughout Sage Creek to create a lasting impact to both its visitors and residents. "We place public art into our communities to add to the sense of place and to create an area that you can feel good about calling home," says Trevor Grafton, planning and design coordinator at Qualico Communities. Sky Spirit, is a striking feature located in Sage Creek's Village Centre plaza. The plaza is landscaped with seating and provides gathering opportunities for special events. Designed by local artist Darren Sakwi, this contemporary piece has a ribbon-like structure that is made of stainless steel. With rotating LED lights that bounce off of its surface in the evening, this sculpture appears as though it is floating – similar to the aurora borealis. "The aurora borealis is something we don't see every day but when you do, it really stops you in your tracks and makes you want to take a break to cherish the sight," says Sakwi. With multi- functionality, spaces such as Sage Creek's Village Centre plaza encourage residents to connect with their neighbours and engage with their environment. Similarly, the public art in Sage Creek aims to boost onlookers' moods and inspire creativity within the community. To help establish wayfinding patterns within Sage Creek, two corten steel sculptures stand in the centre of traffic circles. The Four Winds, which serves as a tribute to birds flying on the directional winds and Flight, which depicts Canada Geese taking flight and forming their classic V formation, were created by local artist David MacNair with assistance from his friend and fellow artist Barry Bonham. However, not all of Sage Creek's public art pieces are sculptures. The willow tunnel is a living art piece made of weeping willows that climb and spread along a metal structure. This enchanting feature provides shade and is a place to explore during the summer. The willow tunnel is located in the nature trail dry pond just north of Tallgrass Crescent, between the Hydro Corridor and Des Hivernants Boulevard. Coming to Sage Creek this fall is MacNair and Bonham's latest creation, L'Hivernant and the Burning Glass. Inspired by Sage Creek's historical street names, L'Hivernant and the Burning Glass is an educational wall sculpture that depicts an early period voyageur with some of his essential equipment, including paddles, canoe, fire bag and packs. "It's designed with corten steel, which complements Sage Creek's other sculptures and creates a beautiful natural rust finish," says MacNair. "I also incorporated tempered glass to highlight the burning glass used by the voyageurs when lighting their pipes or starting a fire." This custom piece will be located on Burning Glass Road in the north commercial area. It will have distinctive landscaping with seating around the scene where people can view the display up-close. From afar, this piece can be viewed as a mural with multiple layers. "Sage Creek tells a story of nature and the people who lived in the area prior to the days the land was farmed," explains Mike Armstrong, operations manager at Qualico Communities. "You can see many of these themes reflected in the street names and public art pieces," adds Grafton For those searching for a neighbourhood with something extra, Sage Creek hits the mark. This charming neighbourhood has evolved over 13 years into the vibrant and thriving community it is today. Inspiring creativity in SAGE CREEK QUALICO COMMUNITIES — SAGE CREEK ' ' Sky Spirit The Four Winds Parade of Homes fall 2019 61

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