Daedalist
David Robinson, 2014
Sculpture Composed of Sitka Spruce, Baltic Birch, Resin Composite and Bronze
Artwork Location: Level 1 – Arrivals Hall, Suspended Above
Daedalist examines the theme of human aviation as a visionary undertaking of human ingenuity and purpose. The taut lines of this piloted craft are laid bare to the eye and to the imagination. In-flight between the point of departure and the threshold of arrival, this work of art invites the traveller to marvel at all that is held aloft in our ancient dreams of flight.
The word “daedalist” is an archaic name for a pilot or aviator. The term comes from the Greek myth of Daedalus, a skilled artisan who constructed wings to allow himself to take flight.
Robinson’s sculptures undergo a multi-stage process. The figures and formed patterns are first sculpted out of clay and wax, from which rubber moulds are made. These moulds are then used to cast the final elements in composite resin and bronze. The wood elements were formed using a combination of digital and traditional methods of joinery, from computer numerical control (CNC) cutting the Baltic-Birch plywood to the steam-bending of old-growth Sitka Spruce.
The Fort McMurray Airport Authority commissioned this piece.
Dream Catcher
Richard Nokohoo, 2018
Craft of Hoop, Woven Horse Hair, Beads and Eagle Feathers
Artwork Location: Level 2 – Departures
Lasting Impression
Lucas Seaward, 2014
Bitumen on Canvas
Artwork Location: Level 2 – Departures
Lasting Impression uses over twenty pictograms to reflect the many elements and interactivities that have helped to define the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo region over the past two hundred years. From float planes to fly fishing, from locomotives to lone wolves, this piece displays the diverse natural beauty and human activity within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
Designed in the shape of a human footprint, the piece represents the past and present individuals who have called Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo home and symbolizes the industry’s commitment to sustainability. The image signifies the YMM’s impact and influence on the lives of those living in the region and demonstrates its desire to make a lasting, positive impression in the community.
Seaward’s art technique uses bitumen, the tar-like viscous material extracted from the oil sands and processed into petroleum products.
The Fort McMurray Airport Authority commissioned this piece.
Sky Dance Series
Amy Keller-Rempp, 2014
Airbrushed Metal Art
Artwork Location: Level 3 – Observation Area
As part of the Sky Dance Series, Amy Keller Rempp’s two paintings depict several features of life in Fort McMurray, including the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), aviation, wildlife, and the Snye River, which has been a longstanding gateway to the community.
The paintings were produced by combining metal grinding with automotive airbrushing on aluminum panels. The artist began by grinding the picture into the metal panel, then airbrushing, applying clear coating, sanding, and polishing the piece to transform the metal into a glass-like mural.
Landing on the Snye – A floatplane lands on the quiet waters of the Snye River at dusk. The eagle, one of the largest birds capable of taking flight, is shown as the ruler of the skies. When combined with the Northern Lights, this image represents a magical, spiritual, and timeless symbol of aviation. For many years, float planes landing on the Snye River provided the main access to Fort McMurray.
Spirit of Wood Buffalo – Two majestic wood buffalo stand within a northern boreal forest. An eagle soars overhead in front of a stylized depiction of the Fort McMurray International Airport logo merged within the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). The wood buffalo, the namesake of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, symbolizes abundance, strength, and stability. This piece is intended to evoke a sense of freedom and prosperity.
The Fort McMurray Airport Authority commissioned both pieces.
Sky Explorer
Lucas Seaward, 2014
Bitumen on Canvas
Artwork Location: Level 3 – Fort McMurray Airport Authority Board Room
Sky Explorer is a tribute to Fort McMurray’s aviation history. It depicts a floatplane taking off from the Snye River, a base of floatplane operations since the early 1920s. This painting pays homage to early aviation pioneers who plunged propeller-first into the wild, uncharted and challenging terrain of Canada’s northern regions.
The swooshing strokes symbolize the meeting place of the curving Athabasca and Clearwater rivers, which have played a vital role in local trading and growth since the area was settled. Subtly nestled within the piece are images that reflect aspects of northern life, including isolation, vast boreal forests, abundant wildlife, connection to nature, and human ingenuity.
Unearthing Black Gold
Alexandra Kavanagh, 2025
Acrylic Latex Paint on Composite Metal Panels
Artwork Location: Level 2 – YMM Courtyard
Alexandra Kavanagh’s Unearthing Black Gold: A Tribute to Human Endeavour and Innovation is a four-piece art installation created to honour Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo’s energy sector. Each of the four panels tells a story of the oil sands process from mining to upgrading and sustainability to reclamation.
Mining – Mining reflects on the industrial legacy that began in 1967, when Suncor opened Alberta’s first oil sands mining pit in Fort McMurray. Towering bucketwheel extractors dominated the landscape, setting the stage for decades of transformation.
Through a bold colour and jarring perspective, the painting captures the scale, energy, and paradox of an environment that is a controlled chaos, where human ambition meets an ever-changing earth.
Mining captures the sheer scale and tension of industrial ambition.
Upgrading – Upgrading captures the industrial majesty of an oil sands upgrader – a vital stage in transforming raw bitumen into synthetic crude. With its maze of pipes, pumps, and pressure vessels, the scene evokes the overwhelming experience of standing inside a mechanical city alive with motion.
Upgrading honours the skilled tradespeople who build, maintain, and operate these systems year-round. Their work powers this complex landscape, where precision and scale converge.
Sustainability – Sustainability explores the deep ties between oil sands development and community prosperity. The interwoven forms reflect the complex relationship between economic growth, environmental innovation, and social wellbeing in our region.
Sustainability honours how the industry fuels opportunity – creating jobs, funding public programs, and drawing people from around the world to build better lives. It is a visual expression of how the oil sands continue to shape the fabric of community life, while adapting to meet the needs of a changing future.
Reclamation – Reclamation reflects the quiet transformation of former industrial sites into self-sustaining ecosystems. In Alberta’s oil sands region, disturbed land is reclaimed, a process that blends science, labour, corporate social responsibility and vision.
The work honours those who restore these landscapes, reintroducing native species and rebuilding habitats with care and precision. It is a tribute to the people behind the work that returns life to where industry once stood.
The Fort McMurray Airport Authority and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo commissioned this piece.
Jane Ash Poitras, 2015
Mixed Media on Canvas on a Cedar Stretcher
Artwork Location: Level 3 – Observation Area
Homeland & Northern Utopia
“A tribute to my Indigenous Peoples, especially my Mikisew Cree First Nation at Fort Chipewyan.”
These two works, entitled Homeland Utopia and Northern Utopia, belong to the artist’s Utopia series: a series of large paintings expressing the euphoria she experienced while awaiting the birth of her first child. The artist’s work combines an awareness of contemporary trends in Western art with insight into aboriginal history and culture. The rich colours of the landscapes revealed in the work also reflect the intensity of the artist’s dream-like expectations of her child’s birth.
This piece was generously gifted by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).
Water Ways, Sensing Connections
Liz Ingram, 2014
Photographic Collage Printed on Adhesive Vinyl
Artwork Location: Level 2, North End Airside
Water has always been a central feature of life in Fort McMurray. The city was settled along rivers: the name of one of the city’s oldest established neighbourhoods, Waterways, bears witness to this history. Today, careful water use is essential for the technological development of local industries and for sustainable living in this growing northern city.