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Emmanuel Osahor, Room for t wo , 2023 . Oil on canvas . Collection Shoshana Quint and Jonathan Melmed. Installation view of Emmanuel Osahor: I made this place for you, Art Gallery of Alberta, 2024. Photography by Charle s Cousins, courtesy of the Art Gallery of Alberta.

The AGA is open from Wednesday to Sunday.
See upcoming events and programs on the AGA calendar. Engage with us digitally anytime at youraga.ca to learn more about our current exhibitions. Follow us on social media @youraga.

Want to know what's on at your AGA? You can find all the current exhibitions and information about them below!

Black History Month at the AGA

5 Artists 1 Love

Until March 3

5 Artists 1 Love is an annual exhibition that celebrates the artistic vibrancy and range of Edmonton’s African-Canadian communities, from Angola to Zanzibar, Togo to Tobago, or Brazil to Barbados! This phenomenal art exhibition showcases the diversity of the African diaspora and promotes emerging and established artists to develop global African arts and cultures and celebrate African-Canadian brilliance.

Now celebrating its 18th year, the exhibition once again showcases five African-Canadian artists, highlighting their unique style and vision arising from their global and local experience.

Organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta and 5 Artists 1 Love. Curated by Darren W. Jordan.

Webinar | Navigating the Artworld with Geneviève Wallen and Toyin Oladele

February 6, 6:30pm

This Black History Month, The AGA and CARFAC Alberta are partnering to offer a professional development talk for artists and cultural workers from the Black Community. We are excited to have Geneviève Wallen (curator, writer, and researcher) and Toyin Oladele (multidisciplinary artist, curator and arts manager) speak on how to navigate the art world from their perspective and experiences. This professional development program is open to artists and cultural workers who are looking for advice, strategies and resources in building their career in the arts in Canada.  

Registration is not required but encouraged.

Cinema For Seniors | John Ware Reclaimed and Black Soul

February 9, 2pm

Don’t miss this special by-donation screening of 2 films, in honour of Black History Month: 

About John Ware Reclaimed (2020): John Ware Reclaimed follows filmmaker Cheryl Foggo on her quest to re-examine the mythology surrounding John Ware, the Black cowboy who settled in Alberta, Canada.

About Black Soul (2001): Martine Chartrand’s animated short dives into the heart of Black culture with an exhilarating trip though history. Watch as a young boy traces his roots through the stories his grandmother shares with him about the events that shaped their cultural heritage. 

This screening includes a 30-minute discussion, tea and treats.

Film Night: Summer of Soul | Black History Month screening by YEGTheComeUp!

February 22, 7pm

Join YEGTheComeUp! and the AGA for a special Black History month Film Program presentation featuring the film Summer of Soul (2021). 

Admission to this program is $10 for General Admission and $5 for seniors & students. This screening is part of the AGA’s programming for Black History Month. Please note that the film is rated PG. 

About Summer of Soul (2021): A 2021 American independent documentary film about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in his directorial debut. 

Explore our Exhibitions

Now Open:

Brenda Draney, Self Portrait, 2022. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of Catriona Jeffries, Vancouver. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.

Brenda Draney: Drink from the River

This exhibition features works by Edmonton-based artist Brenda Draney that delve into complex questions around the notion of intimacy. Sifting through images culled from her own personal archive and memory, Brenda Draney recalls figures and moments that have shaped her lived experiences.

Initiated, organized, and circulated by The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto. Supported by Sobey Art Foundation. This exhibition is made possible with the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

    


Lilacs (for Farah), 2021. Oil and acrylic on canvas. Art Gallery of Alberta Collection, purchased with funds from the Soper Endowment.

Emmanuel Osahor: I made this place for you

To plant a seed is to have hope for a tomorrow. To cultivate a garden is to fathom that there can be a future but accepting and working with inevitable failures. Through painting and ceramic sculpture Emmanuel Osahor captures the ever-changing nature of gardens where everything is always in process and there is often a balance between haphazard construction and the arduous pursuit of perfection.  

Organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta and curated by Lindsey Sharman. Presented by the Poole Centre of Design.  




Opening February 17:

Braxton Garneau: Pay Dirt

Pitch Lake in Trinidad is the largest natural deposit of asphalt in the world. The bitumen that surfaces here was created by the same subterranean processes that produced the oil sands in Alberta. Above ground, Alberta and Trinidad are linked by the labour of extraction. It was knowledge of extractive industries that brought Braxton Garneau’s family, and many other Caribbean families to Alberta. Pay Dirt entwines these locations further by drawing attention to their parallel and opposing industrial and social realities.

Organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta and curated by Lindsey Sharman.  Presented by the RBC New Works Gallery.

  

Tom Thomson: North Star

Tom Thomson (1877–1917) is indisputably Canada’s preeminent modern painter, an artist whose unprecedented brilliance blazed the trail for the formation of the Group of Seven in the wake of his tragic death in 1917 at Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. This exhibition offers a close look at Thomson’s legacy, focusing on the oil sketch, of which he is the supreme master.

Organized and circulated by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection with the exceptional support of the National Gallery of Canada. Supported by the Government of Canada / Avec l’appui du gouvernement du Canada. Sponsored by Heffel.

    







Classes, Films, Tours and More

Stroller Tour

January 31, 11am

New parents are welcome to join us on a monthly tour of the AGA’s current exhibitions. This tour series has been designed to have adult conversation, opportunities to socialize with other parents, baby play, and added flexibility to ensure if you need to step away to attend to your little one, you won’t miss a thing!

These tours are offered the last Wednesday of the month at 11am and are FREE with General Admission.

All Day Sunday

February 11, 12-4pm

In our new exhibition, artist Emmanuel Osahor explores gardens as a site of collective respite and convalescence. Join us in the atrium for an exploration of gardens, cultivation and care, harvest and hope for tomorrow. 

About All Day Sundays: All Day Sundays are the second Sunday of every month and include family-friendly art activities.

Heart of the City | Music Program Series

February 18, 1-3pm

This winter, step out of the cold and enjoy a 3-part concert series in our atrium! Featuring musicians from the Heart of the City Music Program (HCMP) performance troupe, these mixed genre concerts will delight audiences of all ages. The volunteer performance troupe members deliver a captivating blend of classical elegance interwoven with the vibrant energy of popular tunes.

These concerts are included in admission.

Tour for Seniors of 'Tom Thomson: North Star' with Danielle Siemens

February 23, 2pm

Join us for our monthly Tour for Seniors of the exhibition Tom Thomson: North Star with Danielle Siemens, AGA collection manager and associate curator. This mobile tour will give you an in-depth understanding of the work on display and offers a fresh perspective on the life and legacy of Tom Thomson, Canada’s preeminent modern painter.

Registration is required. This tour is for self-identified seniors and included with admission to the gallery.  

Tours for Tots

Wednesdays, 10am

Tours for Tots is a weekly in-person art exploration for children ages 3-5 and their parents, consisting of playful activities, whimsical storytelling and hands-on art-making.  

January 31 | Ceramics

Adult Open Studio

Thursdays, 7-9pm

Adult Open Studio classes are casual, social drop-in art workshops offered weekly, featuring a new project and theme connected to current exhibitions. 

February 1 | Figure Drawing I

February 8 | Heart-Shaped Cards

Art Sales and Rental

Looking to refresh your space? Consider dropping by Art Sales and Rental! 

For more than 60 years, the AGA’s Art Sales and Rental program has enabled the public to have art in their homes and offices at a reasonable cost while supporting the careers of Alberta artists. Come by or learn more online.

Learn More

shopAGA

As a destination that celebrates Canadian and local makers, designers and innovators, shopAGA provides interesting, authentic, culturally significant and locally-made products to amplify your art experience. From unique gifts for that special someone to handcrafted décor that adds cheer to your home, shopAGA will make the holidays memorable! 

Admission is never required to stop by shopAGA & AGA Members get 10% off.

Learn More

In the Community

Gershwin's Magic Key

February 17 at 1:30 PM & 4PM
Presented by ATB Wealth
Featuring Classical Kids Live!
Conducted by Cosette Justo Valdés 

Treat your family to an enriching and entertaining experience this Family Day Weekend with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra! On Feb 17, learn about the life of legendary American composer George Gershwin, while enjoying some of his most enduring music, including Rhapsody in Blue, I Got Rhythm, and Summertime. Presented by Classical Kids Live, this theatrical symphony concert at the Winspear Centre is ideal for the whole family! Recommended for ages 6 and up. Youth tickets are $25 and adult tickets start at $28. Buy your tickets at winspearcentre.com or by calling 780.428.1414.

Get Tickets

Discover more AGA art activities here 🎨

The Art Gallery of Alberta respectfully acknowledges that we are located in Treaty 6 Territory and Region 4 of the Metis Nation of Alberta. We respect this as the traditional and contemporary  land of diverse Indigenous Peoples including the Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Beaver Cree, Nitsitapi/Blackfoot, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Anishinaabe/Saulteaux/Ojibwe and Dene Peoples. We also acknowledge the many Indigenous, Inuit and Métis people who make Alberta their home today.