Since 2005, Christy Morin has been the heart of Arts on the Ave in Edmonton, Alberta.  Arts on the Ave actively celebrates its unique neighbourhood community north of the downtown core as “a place whose “personality” is vividly expressed through the arts; possessing a dynamic momentum, “an arts pulse” where the artist and community continually engage.” At the core of the organization, or more accurately, the movement, lives a deep commitment “to the community through the cultivation of positive urban renewal. It is through culture-led urban regeneration initiatives, a vision of creative spaces and place-making that these art-infused communities have begun to flourish and provide a safe, nurturing environment for artists to thrive.”

From the earliest days of its dreaming and the establishment of a dedicated creator-centric community coffee house, The Carrot, to expanding to its current scale, hosting two much loved festivals, Kaleido, a fall festival of the arts and its winter companion, Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival about to take to the streets later this month, Christy and her team have embraced the Arts as the alchemical element spinning gold through community development and acting as a transformative agent in advocating for the healthy lifestyle of the whole neighbourhood and beyond.