Calgary's Art Scene
A social environment where creativity is nurtured is key to both the growth of an artist and pivotal to how well an arts community functions. The people of Calgary have long supported those individuals and groups of people who find inspiration within their surroundings, then choose to express their interpretation of these conditions through paint, sculpture, performance or any other means.
Calgary's urban landscape takes on a whole new life as public art spaces radiate throughout a city where, odd as it may seem, it is not uncommon to see a group of giant frogs sharing a bench, or to come across a murder of crows that can see the future. And don't be alarmed by the mechanical horse wandering the streets, it is only looking for a seat at a local tavern.
The premiere art galleries clustered about downtown's southwest proudly shine new light on one of humankind's oldest traditions. As they assist emerging artists with their distinguished showrooms, these galleries exhibit the human potential for creativity and contribute to our seemingly boundless imagination.
Local artists choose to reveal their pictorial passions as they open the doors of their public studios, giving people a rare glimpse at the inner workings of the creative mind, while engaging the community at the same time.
PUBLIC GALLERIES
Stable, reliable and ever-present, Calgary's public art galleries form the load-bearing pillars that work to support the art scene. These institutions, though they will buy and sell pieces, are concerned mainly with the collection, preservation or exhibition of the world's most notable visual works.
Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD), the segregant mother of the city's art scene, continually trains and nurtures some of the country's greatest talent, who, in turn, contribute to the outstanding art found throughout the city and nation. The school has developed two premier on-campus galleries, both known for promoting fresh new artists of contemporary art and design: the Illingworth Kerr Gallery (IKG) and the student-run, public and not-for-profit Marion Nicoll Gallery.
Part history museum and part art gallery, yet arguably one of the best exhibition sites of any Canadian university, the Nickle Arts Museum (Nickle), located on the University of Calgary campus, has gained a reputation for hanging some of the country's most provocative shows. By maintaining a comprehensive collection, a broad focus of content and a leading educational standard, the Nickle plays an integral role in both the city and the school's reputation for artistic exposition. The University of Calgary is also a proud supporter of its student work. Its Mezzanine Gallery, occupying the University Theatre's Mezzanine Floor, showcases works of art created by current students and alumni.
One block south of the LRT Centre Street Station, on historic Stephen Avenue, the Art Gallery of Calgary (ACG) is leading the way in contemporary art exhibition while playing a vital role in Calgary’s culture and community. Five distinct galleries enclosed in the two buildings where the ACG resides, each with diverse, rotating programs, showcase some of Calgary and the nation's most inspired works.
In the southeast corner of downtown Calgary, neighbouring City Hall on MacLeod Trail, the Triangle Art Gallery has been engaged in the advancement of public knowledge and understanding of contemporary visual art for more than 18 years. Through a balanced annual program of exhibitions, developed by the Calgary Contemporary Arts Society (CCAS), Triangle contributes to the diversity and recognition of Calgary's artistic sensibilities.
PRIVATE GALLERIES
Weaving a network of individuals and organizations within the Calgary arts community, private galleries embody the fabric that bonds artists with their market. Though these establishments are commercial enterprises concerned with the sale of art for profit, they offer free admittance and host temporary exhibitions and events to showcase works that have been borrowed from elsewhere. Private galleries serve just as an important role within the art scene as the public galleries. Together, they provide artists with the opportunity to connect with their community, they open the door for people interested in visual art, and they grant enthusiasts a chance to collect rare and original works.
Conveniently, most of the city's commercial art galleries are concentrated within the downtown's southwest quadrant. Due to the proliferation of not only fine art, but furniture and decor galleries too, this area has become known as the Design Corridor. From Stephen Avenue, cross to the south side of the tracks to find Calgary's Gallery Row, centred around 11th Avenue and spanning from Fourth Street to 11th Street SW. A trip down this lively avenue reveals a vivid palette of fine art galleries, each worthy of an extensive visit.
Gallery Row
Heading west from Fourth Street, the area's largest and most eclectic collection of original art is found at Artists of the World. This naturalistic art gallery features three floors of original paintings, glassworks, ceramics and sculptures by artists from all over the world to artists of Calgary's own neighbourhoods.
Next down the line, in an organic basement gallery that has been intelligently lit in order to enhance the artists’ styles, resides 11th Avenue's newcomer, the Gerry Thomas Gallery. Largely exhibiting work by artist Gerry Thomas, this dynamic gallery stands out as one of very few artist-owned-and-operated private galleries in the area.
In the lower level of 617 11th Avenue, ArtFirm continues to expand its range of innovative artists as it exhibits an array of shows in contemporary fine art. The diverse forms of artistic perspectives being exhibited include anything from minimalist geometric designs to mixed medium abstractions.
On the north side of 11th Avenue Newzones neighbours the Paul Kuhn Gallery. Both present a respectable aesthetic—clean and modern—which portrays their sense of professionalism. Their open and functional presentations do not distract from, but contribute to, the exquisite mix of contemporary art they display.
A block westward, the affable Webster Galleries Inc. houses a large assortment of Canadian fine art. Their collection spans two floors and includes an extensive Inuit sculpture display.
Moving a little farther west one finds Virginia Christopher, a graduate of ACAD in the 60s, and the proprietor of Virginia Christopher Fine Art. Now a source of fine art for over a quarter century, the gallery represents most of western Canada's most successful mature artists. The works displayed by the gallery range widely from representational landscapes to pure abstraction.
From there, head north up Eighth Street to find TrepanierBaer. This modern gallery represents more than 25 artists whose diverse mediums include painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, film and video.
PUBLIC ART
Amongst giant dandelion skyscrapers that seem to pop up daily, and through the rumble of a city that will not yield, stands a group of silent figures, as still as the buildings that surround them yet infused with the life of those who created them.
Standing 6 m (21 ft) high, over the Board of Education Building, at 515 Macleod Trail, the remarkable Family of Man features a group of nine raceless, expressionless human figures extending their hands in a gesture of fellowship and goodwill. Created by Mario Armengol for display at Expo 67 in Montreal, and later donated to the City of Calgary, the piece comments on the contradiction of man's dominance with his insignificance and dependence.
The bronze Family of Horses eternally grazing in the concrete fields of the Municipal Plaza (City Hall) are the work of Calgary-area artist Harry O'Hanlon. Strangely, this family bears less resemblance to the mechanical stallion roaming Stephen Avenue, than they do the two bronze businessmen of the statue entitled The Conversation.
Those familiar with Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Nellie McClung will be happy to find them taking a well-deserved rest across from the grand entrance to the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Immortalized in cast bronze, the Famous Five sculpture commemorates these ladies and their courageous battle for women's rights in Canada.
Walking the Fourth Street district may invoke a feeling of Alice trekking her Wonderland. Peter Smith's friendly, man-sized frogs Hanging Out on the benches at 21st Avenue may not be able to make room for the weary to rest, but rest assured, these metallic amphibians are a friendly group, and may direct guests to the Brick Couch on 18th—sort of a joke they play.
The trip around the Fourth Street area bares many things, but it is said that Counting Crows can reveal the most. Based on a traditional English rhyme, which was used to predict one's fortune according to the number of crows seen, this statue, created by Calgary local Evelyn Grant, inspires much finger-pointing as people count the members of the murder perched on the windmill at 13th Avenue.
STUDIOS
In Calgary, there are many variations of artists' studios, many of which have open doors, allowing the public to see for themselves, meet the artist and maybe purchase a piece they like.
Enter Art Central and enter Calgary's art Mecca, a complex renowned for offering the city's highest concentration of studios and galleries found within one building. Only steps from the LRT Seventh Street Station, this axis of visual art aims to unite the arts community while accommodating spaces for studios, art galleries, ancillary retail and related services. With 22 working artists' studios, nine galleries, seven shops and two cafes, Art Central presents a stimulating environment in which creative art is given the highest regard.
Calgary's urban landscape takes on a whole new life as public art spaces radiate throughout a city where, odd as it may seem, it is not uncommon to see a group of giant frogs sharing a bench, or to come across a murder of crows that can see the future. And don't be alarmed by the mechanical horse wandering the streets, it is only looking for a seat at a local tavern.
The premiere art galleries clustered about downtown's southwest proudly shine new light on one of humankind's oldest traditions. As they assist emerging artists with their distinguished showrooms, these galleries exhibit the human potential for creativity and contribute to our seemingly boundless imagination.
Local artists choose to reveal their pictorial passions as they open the doors of their public studios, giving people a rare glimpse at the inner workings of the creative mind, while engaging the community at the same time.
PUBLIC GALLERIES
Stable, reliable and ever-present, Calgary's public art galleries form the load-bearing pillars that work to support the art scene. These institutions, though they will buy and sell pieces, are concerned mainly with the collection, preservation or exhibition of the world's most notable visual works.
Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD), the segregant mother of the city's art scene, continually trains and nurtures some of the country's greatest talent, who, in turn, contribute to the outstanding art found throughout the city and nation. The school has developed two premier on-campus galleries, both known for promoting fresh new artists of contemporary art and design: the Illingworth Kerr Gallery (IKG) and the student-run, public and not-for-profit Marion Nicoll Gallery.
Part history museum and part art gallery, yet arguably one of the best exhibition sites of any Canadian university, the Nickle Arts Museum (Nickle), located on the University of Calgary campus, has gained a reputation for hanging some of the country's most provocative shows. By maintaining a comprehensive collection, a broad focus of content and a leading educational standard, the Nickle plays an integral role in both the city and the school's reputation for artistic exposition. The University of Calgary is also a proud supporter of its student work. Its Mezzanine Gallery, occupying the University Theatre's Mezzanine Floor, showcases works of art created by current students and alumni.
One block south of the LRT Centre Street Station, on historic Stephen Avenue, the Art Gallery of Calgary (ACG) is leading the way in contemporary art exhibition while playing a vital role in Calgary’s culture and community. Five distinct galleries enclosed in the two buildings where the ACG resides, each with diverse, rotating programs, showcase some of Calgary and the nation's most inspired works.
In the southeast corner of downtown Calgary, neighbouring City Hall on MacLeod Trail, the Triangle Art Gallery has been engaged in the advancement of public knowledge and understanding of contemporary visual art for more than 18 years. Through a balanced annual program of exhibitions, developed by the Calgary Contemporary Arts Society (CCAS), Triangle contributes to the diversity and recognition of Calgary's artistic sensibilities.
PRIVATE GALLERIES
Weaving a network of individuals and organizations within the Calgary arts community, private galleries embody the fabric that bonds artists with their market. Though these establishments are commercial enterprises concerned with the sale of art for profit, they offer free admittance and host temporary exhibitions and events to showcase works that have been borrowed from elsewhere. Private galleries serve just as an important role within the art scene as the public galleries. Together, they provide artists with the opportunity to connect with their community, they open the door for people interested in visual art, and they grant enthusiasts a chance to collect rare and original works.
Conveniently, most of the city's commercial art galleries are concentrated within the downtown's southwest quadrant. Due to the proliferation of not only fine art, but furniture and decor galleries too, this area has become known as the Design Corridor. From Stephen Avenue, cross to the south side of the tracks to find Calgary's Gallery Row, centred around 11th Avenue and spanning from Fourth Street to 11th Street SW. A trip down this lively avenue reveals a vivid palette of fine art galleries, each worthy of an extensive visit.
Gallery Row
Heading west from Fourth Street, the area's largest and most eclectic collection of original art is found at Artists of the World. This naturalistic art gallery features three floors of original paintings, glassworks, ceramics and sculptures by artists from all over the world to artists of Calgary's own neighbourhoods.
Next down the line, in an organic basement gallery that has been intelligently lit in order to enhance the artists’ styles, resides 11th Avenue's newcomer, the Gerry Thomas Gallery. Largely exhibiting work by artist Gerry Thomas, this dynamic gallery stands out as one of very few artist-owned-and-operated private galleries in the area.
In the lower level of 617 11th Avenue, ArtFirm continues to expand its range of innovative artists as it exhibits an array of shows in contemporary fine art. The diverse forms of artistic perspectives being exhibited include anything from minimalist geometric designs to mixed medium abstractions.
On the north side of 11th Avenue Newzones neighbours the Paul Kuhn Gallery. Both present a respectable aesthetic—clean and modern—which portrays their sense of professionalism. Their open and functional presentations do not distract from, but contribute to, the exquisite mix of contemporary art they display.
A block westward, the affable Webster Galleries Inc. houses a large assortment of Canadian fine art. Their collection spans two floors and includes an extensive Inuit sculpture display.
Moving a little farther west one finds Virginia Christopher, a graduate of ACAD in the 60s, and the proprietor of Virginia Christopher Fine Art. Now a source of fine art for over a quarter century, the gallery represents most of western Canada's most successful mature artists. The works displayed by the gallery range widely from representational landscapes to pure abstraction.
From there, head north up Eighth Street to find TrepanierBaer. This modern gallery represents more than 25 artists whose diverse mediums include painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, film and video.
PUBLIC ART
Amongst giant dandelion skyscrapers that seem to pop up daily, and through the rumble of a city that will not yield, stands a group of silent figures, as still as the buildings that surround them yet infused with the life of those who created them.
Standing 6 m (21 ft) high, over the Board of Education Building, at 515 Macleod Trail, the remarkable Family of Man features a group of nine raceless, expressionless human figures extending their hands in a gesture of fellowship and goodwill. Created by Mario Armengol for display at Expo 67 in Montreal, and later donated to the City of Calgary, the piece comments on the contradiction of man's dominance with his insignificance and dependence.
The bronze Family of Horses eternally grazing in the concrete fields of the Municipal Plaza (City Hall) are the work of Calgary-area artist Harry O'Hanlon. Strangely, this family bears less resemblance to the mechanical stallion roaming Stephen Avenue, than they do the two bronze businessmen of the statue entitled The Conversation.
Those familiar with Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Nellie McClung will be happy to find them taking a well-deserved rest across from the grand entrance to the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Immortalized in cast bronze, the Famous Five sculpture commemorates these ladies and their courageous battle for women's rights in Canada.
Walking the Fourth Street district may invoke a feeling of Alice trekking her Wonderland. Peter Smith's friendly, man-sized frogs Hanging Out on the benches at 21st Avenue may not be able to make room for the weary to rest, but rest assured, these metallic amphibians are a friendly group, and may direct guests to the Brick Couch on 18th—sort of a joke they play.
The trip around the Fourth Street area bares many things, but it is said that Counting Crows can reveal the most. Based on a traditional English rhyme, which was used to predict one's fortune according to the number of crows seen, this statue, created by Calgary local Evelyn Grant, inspires much finger-pointing as people count the members of the murder perched on the windmill at 13th Avenue.
STUDIOS
In Calgary, there are many variations of artists' studios, many of which have open doors, allowing the public to see for themselves, meet the artist and maybe purchase a piece they like.
Enter Art Central and enter Calgary's art Mecca, a complex renowned for offering the city's highest concentration of studios and galleries found within one building. Only steps from the LRT Seventh Street Station, this axis of visual art aims to unite the arts community while accommodating spaces for studios, art galleries, ancillary retail and related services. With 22 working artists' studios, nine galleries, seven shops and two cafes, Art Central presents a stimulating environment in which creative art is given the highest regard.
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