Alphabet Project ends

The alphabet has come to an end, but now comes the part where the letters get viewed, rearranged, shaped in the imagination, and put to positive use for all time.

The Alphabet Project called on 26 local artists (there were scores of applicants, but 26 were selected) to depict a letter of the alphabet in their own creative way, and contribute it to an overall collection.

Flip through the below slideshow to view the Alphabet Project art and a link to each artist story:

The A-Z art series was published weekly in the Prince George Citizen as one of our ways of saying thank you to the community for our 100 years in business. It also struck the essence of what we in the newspaper industry strive to be, day after day, from one century to the next: the alphabet is our stock in trade, on the story side, while 2D visual art is our stock in trade on the photo and graphic design side. We are at our best when we are stirring imaginations and starting conversations on all-local topics involving all-local sources. And importantly, as is most of our community coverage, the news was 100 per cent good.

The Alphabet Project touched all these things and more. Rarely has the public been so hungry for the next installment of a local newspaper series. Citizen staff were stopped in the street, the artists involved were roundly applauded publicly, even the artists themselves would check in about the progress of the series even after their artwork was published. If we were in the music business, we'd have to call this one a big ol' hit.

We cannot express our gratitude and admiration colourfully enough to the 26 talented artists who gave of themselves so wonderfully. Nor can we adequately thank the Community Arts Council for doing what they always do - work their fingers to the bone on behalf of arts and culture in our region. Lisa Redpath and the CAC were stellar partners in this endeavour. We can't wait to work with them again.

Just because the 26 works of art have all been sequentially published in the weekly Citizen Extra does not mean the letters have all been retired. There are still words being formed on this project.

Please stay tuned to The Citizen for more information about the art and artists involved. In the meantime, we have gathered all the art, photos of the artists, and stories about each work of Alphabet Project art into one place. The public's demand to see the pieces they missed or just scroll through each one in its turn was overwhelming, so you can find it in this online package.