Oxford Properties 65th Anniversary Community Mural
Oxford Properties 65th Anniversary Community Mural
This collaborative community project was completed for Oxford Properties in Calgary, Alberta, at their Calgary corporate office.
Oxford Properties is a premier global real estate investor, developer, and manager. To celebrate their historic 65th anniversary, they wanted an interactive mural activation to engage their local team, foster deeper internal connections, and create a lasting piece of office culture.
Project Timeline: One-Day Activation (10:00 AM – 3:00 PM)
Location: Oxford Properties - 520 3 Ave. SW, Calgary, AB.
Date: April 29th, 2025
PROJECT CHALLENGES
Site & Logistic Challenges: The core challenge was transforming a live corporate office environment into a functional, clean art studio for a single day. We needed to facilitate a drop-in style event for approximately 50 employees over a tight five-hour window without interrupting daily business operations or risking any mess to the office infrastructure. Additionally, managing the logistics of a massive 9x4 ft canvas required careful planning and coordination, navigating the piece entirely through the building's back freight elevators to ensure a seamless setup behind the scenes.
Design Challenges: The creative direction required a balance between structure and complete creative freedom. The design needed to be approachable enough that non-artists could seamlessly contribute their own unique brushstrokes and marks, yet cohesive enough that the final 9x4 ft piece looked intentional, professional, and worthy of permanent corporate display.
THE SOLUTION
The Artistic Approach & Co-Creation
To bridge the gap between corporate milestone and community expression, we designed a facilitated co-creation experience. Our artistic approach relied on a structured layout that allowed individual freedom within an intentional framework. Over the five-hour event, our role was to guide the experience end-to-end, welcoming the team, easing any "blank canvas anxiety," and ensuring every local team member could confidently leave their mark.
Production & Execution
The piece was executed on a 9x4 ft gallery-wrapped canvas using premium art supplies and protective aprons to ensure participants could comfortably paint without any risk to their office attire. The colour palette was meticulously pre-selected before our arrival, specifically utilizing their corporate branding colours to reflect the identity and celebratory nature of the milestone. The project culminated in a coordinated "official unveiling," catching the team by surprise and revealing how their individual strokes perfectly harmonized into a single cohesive artwork.
IMPACT & RESULTS
The finished masterpiece is now permanently installed in Oxford Properties' main reception area. Beyond transforming a high-traffic physical space, the mural has become a central conversation starter for clients, visitors, and stakeholders. By utilizing an accessible "paint-by-numbers" format, the activation broke down barriers to creative expression, giving all 50 staff members equal ownership of the final piece. It stands as a daily visual reminder of teamwork, connection, and shared history, beautifully balancing their corporate brand identity with a celebration of their extensive portfolio.
FROM THE CLIENT
We hired The Bear and Unicorn Creative Company to help us highlight an important milestone for our company. We created a mural commemorating our portfolio as well as the natural landscape around us. By producing a kind of 'paint by numbers' piece, our entire staff was able to participate and add their artistic flair to the painting, ensuring this was a team effort all around. The piece turned out much better than we could have ever expected, and it is proudly displayed in our main reception and quite the conversation starter. The Bear and Unicorn were extremely easy to work with, timely, and produced an amazing work of art that meant so much to our office. I would highly recommend David and Maya to anyone looking to ignite their creativity in a corporate setting or otherwise!”
— Trishia Desmarais
Marketing, Commercial Leasing, Event Planning, & Customer Experience — Oxford Properties Group
Bring the experience to your event!
Imagine this kind of creative energy at your next celebration, whether it’s afestival, corporate event, community gathering, or even a wedding.Ourinteractive mural experiencesinvite guests to connect, collaborate, and create something beautiful together.
Let’s design a moment they’ll remember long after the paint dries.
