The City of Calgary launched the 2026 Art Bus program earlier this year, with artists decorated transit busses circulating routes through the Mohkninstsiss. Of note, Siksika Nation member Sikapinakii Low Horn was selected as an artist, with her Art Bus expected to circulate for around six months.
“Until the end of the year, but they told us the buses will just be running until whenever.” Sikapinakii said, noting that buses from previous years are still circulating. Sikapinakii is a Siksika-born Alberta University of the Arts (formerly known as Alberta College of Art and Design) graduate and artist. After graduating in 2019, Sikapinakii worked for Siksika Health Services.
“During the pandemic, that’s when I really started to like do Art full time.”
During that time, she worked as a healthcare aid but with the pandemic on the rise, she was moved to the SHS communications team. Having just graduated with a degree that improved her drawing skills, Sikapinakii began teaching herself how to illustrate information.
For the Art Bus, she won the selection out of 300 applicants, along with seven others, including another Blackfoot artist, Grant Little Mustache. Sikapinakii originally wanted to fully bead the Art Bus, but a sudden loss put her work on hold. Upon returning, she had completed beadwork but no longer had the time to bead the entire bus.
Containing a mixture of beadwork—what Sikapinakii was able to get done—she illustrates the beautiful landscape of the Blackfoot Territory, mixing traditional symbols in a colourful piece.
Her illustration features a persona she created called the Blackfoot Cowboy, honouring the history of the Blackfoot in Calgary’s culture, the Stampede and agriculture.
“Not a lot of people know that Tom Three Persons from Kainai was the first ever person to win the Calgary Stampede,” referencing Rodeo champion Tom Three Persons who won the Calgary Stampede saddle bronc competition in 1912.
Sikapinakii has previously done work for Calgary, doing a mural for TELUS Spark, as well as illustrating Blackfoot Chief Crowfoot’s story and history around the Colonel Macleod statue at the Confluence. She has also worked with Heritage Park and did a Yahoo sign for the Calgary Stampede.
For Siksika, she did a mural for a concession stand at the Deerfoot Sportsplex in 2024.
Language plays a significant role in Sikapinakii’s work, “I try to practice speaking Blackfoot, i take a lot of inspiration from that.” As language often transcends spoken words, Sikapinakii regularly discusses old Blackfoot patterns and designs with Elders and knowledge keepers, taking lots of inspiration from them, while respecting cultural protocols.
She expects her bus to continue operating throughout Calgary until the end of the year and hopes it will remain in service into the new year.
