The City in Colour
Alyah Holmes, 2024
Digital illustration, printed on vinyl banners
Various locations city-wide
About the artwork
“The City in Colour is a celebratory series of vibrant and cheerful banners bringing the diversity, nature, people, experience and feeling of Mississauga to life. In honour of the city’s 50th anniversary, I wanted to capture the personality and culture of each neighbourhood: what makes them unique and exciting. Through the vibrant colour palette, relatable characters, and familiar landmarks and characteristics, I hope Mississauga and all its people feel represented, celebrated and proud seeing my artwork.” – Alyah Holmes
Co-commissioned with Mississauga’s five Business Improvement Associations, each banner focuses on a specific part of Mississauga:
Co-commissioned with Clarkson BIA, this banner features Rattray Marsh, Benares House, Clarkson Halloween, dining and shopping, and train tracks representing the historic Clarkson Station.
You can see this banner throughout Clarkson Village and in the city’s Downtown Core.
Co-commissioned with Cooksville BIA, this banner features the Four Corners, Taste of Cooksville, the historical Clair House, wine, grapes and a vine (referencing the first winery in Canada, which was located in Cooksville), and Cooksville’s food culture (a couple eating noodles, ramen, shish kabob and the Thai dessert, Khanom Chan).
You can see this banner on Dundas St and Hurontario St within Cooksville and in the city’s Downtown Core.
Co-commissioned with Malton BIA, this banner features the Avro Arrow, CF100, the Malton sign, and a train and truck to represent the Grand Trunk Railway, the first railway that came through Malton in 1854 and turned this small community into a shipping centre.
You can see this banner on Airport Rd and Derry Rd within Malton and in the city’s Downtown Core.
Co-commissioned with Port Credit BIA, this banner features the Port Credit Lighthouse, Credit River, dining and enjoying waterfront patios, Port Credit’s music culture, and a couple kayaking.
You can see this banner on Lakeshore Rd W within Port Credit and in the city’s Downtown Core.
Co-commissioned with Streetsville BIA, this banner features Franklin House, Streetsville Memorial Park, Streetsville Village Clock, and a ferris wheel (referencing the Bread & Honey Festival).
You can see this banner on Queen St S within Streetville and in the city’s Downtown Core.
This banner celebrates four seasons in Mississauga and features Mississauga’s skyline, environment and wildlife, skating at Celebration Square, a fork with poutine and ice cream (referencing Mississauga’s summer food trucks), Wahoosh Falls, and a festival tent, banner, live singer and dancer (referencing Mississauga’s live music and festivals).
You can see this banner in Applewood, Churchill Meadows, Erin Mills, Erindale, Meadowvale and in the city’s Downtown Core.
Bringing together all the neighbourhood-specific banners, this banner is a call to celebrate and honour Mississauga’s 50th anniversary.
You can see this banner on display throughout the city.
About the artist
Alyah Holmes is a Mississauga-based award-winning illustrator and designer. She loves bringing concepts to life, evoking feelings and telling visual stories in a vibrant, playful and intriguing approach. Her world of creativity adapts to all types of media and she works with a variety of clients on diverse projects spanning editorial, commercial, advertising, packaging, branding, and publishing. She uses bright and contrasting colors, fun and organic shapes and subtle textures to bring people, scenes, food, culture, or whatever subject she comes across to life.