Today we're celebrating one of Winnipeg's most accomplished artists, **Wanda Koop.**

**Wanda, here are your flowers!** 

Wanda was raised here in Winnipeg and started taking Saturday morning art classes at the Winnipeg Art Gallery when she was just seven years old. She would go on to become one of Canada's most respected contemporary artists, with her work being shown across Canada and around the world!

Over the years, Wanda has received some pretty incredible recognition, including being named a Member of the Order of Canada and receiving the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts.

For me, what really stood out about her story was not just her accomplishments with her work, but the community work she's done. I really, truly admire what she's done for Winnipeg. 

In 1998, she founded **Art City** in Winnipeg's West Broadway neighbourhood. The idea was to give people access to free arts programming and the chance to work with professional artists, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Art City has grown into an incredible community organization, providing thousands of workshops and serving thousands of meals for people in Winnipeg every year.

So this week's Friday Flowers is for an artist who didn't just take her talents out into the world, but brought something back home with her.

**Thank you, Wanda, for everything you do for Winnipeggers. You deserve these flowers.** 🌻

If anyone has any stories about Wanda or Art City, please share them!

Friday Flowers: Wanda Koop