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A.J. Casson, High Water, c. 1948. Oil on masonite. Empire Company Limited, Stellarton, NS. Installation view of Generations: The Sobey Family and Canadian Art , Art Gallery of Alberta, 2023. Photography by Charles 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!

Mother's Day

Jim Visser, Hilltop Fireweed, n/a. Courtesy of Bugera Matheson Gallery.

This Mother's Day, the AGA is pleased to offer free admission for mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers! Drop by and enjoy family-friendly art activities, shopAGA, current exhibitions and more.

Learn more

Asian Heritage Month

Cinema For Seniors | Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

May 12, 2-4pm

Join us on May 12 for a special Cinema for Seniors screening of the documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry that explores the life of Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei.  

This film program is dedicated to seniors and is followed by a friendly group discussion with tea and treats. The film will be screened in our Ledcor Theatre in English. 

Entrance to the program is $5. Barrier free access can be accessed online by selecting the appropriate Barrier Free ticket, and in-person by request.

This program is part of the Asian Heritage Month program at the AGA.

Artists Panel on Chinatown's Influence on Art and Culture | Councillor Jennifer Rice with Yong Fei Guan, Kev Liang, and Shawn Tse

May 18, 7pm

In celebration of Asian Heritage Month, join artists Yong Fei Guan, Kev Liang and Shawn Tse for an Artists Panel on Chinatown's Influence on Art and Culture, facilitated by Councillor Jennifer Rice. Learn how the artists’ Asian heritage and connection to Edmonton's Chinatown inform their practice. Through this panel, we hope to further the dialogue about race, heritage and culture in Canada while showcasing the unique perspectives of three compelling contemporary artists.

Exhibitions

Opening Soon

Cindy Mochizuki, Sue Sada Was Here (still), 2018. Video. Courtesy of the artist, cinematography by Milena Salazar.

Dance Party

Opening May 20

Dance Party embraces the blending of art, dance and choreography and explores movement as a method of claiming space and affirming a sense of belonging through one’s own body. The physical movements in the works act simultaneously as an exorcism of painful pasts, an assertion of physical presents and the aspirations for possible futures to prove that community can be built, rebuilt and strengthened through movement.

Recently Opened

Uii Savage: Celestial Passage

Until April 29, 2024


Celestial Passage  is an augmented reality that uses the AGA’s Main Hall as a simulated observation site for viewing North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) satellite data in real-time. Blending fantasy with reality to address globalization and the complexity of space politics, visitors can navigate a data portrait of orbiting traffic amongst artificially-generated angels. 

Closing Soon

Hanny Al Khoury, New Beginning, 2022. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist. Installation view of Hanny Al Khoury: La La Lands, Art Gallery of Alberta, 2023. Photography b y Charles Cousins, courtesy of the Art Gallery of Alberta.

Closing May 21, 2023

La La Lands  are imaginary spaces where belonging doesn’t need to be continually negotiated and anything is possible. Hanny Al Khoury grew up in Catholic household in Palestine. His La La Lands are dreamscapes traumas have been purged and exorcized. 

Presented by the RBC New Works Gallery.


Kent Monkman , Study for mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People) -- Resurgence of the People (Final Variation) , 2019. Acrylic on canvas. Collection of the Sobey Art Foundation. Installation view of Generations: The Sobey Family and Canadian Art , Art Gallery of Alberta, 2023. Photography b y Charles Cousins, courtesy of the Art Gallery of Alberta .

Generations: The Sobey Family and Canadian Art

Closing May 21, 2023

Generations: The Sobey Family and Canadian Art  is a rarely seen private art collection  made available for public viewing. It tells the story of one family’s visionary engagement with Canadian and Indigenous art.

Organized and circulated by McMichael Canadian Art Collection.


Free session: Leaving a Legacy | Will Preparation and Estate Planning

May is “Leave a Legacy” month. The AGA is partnering with Dentons to share information about how you can leave a legacy through a will and estate planning: 

Date/Time: Friday, May 26, 10-11am
Speakers:  Doris Bonora, KC, Partner, Dentons
                   Catherine Crowston, Executive Director and Chief Curator, Art Gallery of Alberta 

Learn about what legacy giving is, how it works, as well as common questions or everything you need to consider before writing your Will. You will also learn about the benefits of becoming an AGA Legacy Maker.   

Space is limited; please register in advance. Coffee, tea and snacks will be served.  

Register

Classes, Camps, Tours, Films and More

All Day Sunday | Gone with the Dogs

May 14, 12-4pm

On Mother’s Day, get inspired by 18th-century artist and engraver William Hogarth in our current exhibition William Hogarth: Gone to the Dogs. Learn about the artist and his dog and create a suite of comic-inspired artworks for your mother, grandmother or great-grandmother!  

AGA Comic and Zine Market

May 20-21, 11am-5pm

Discover amazing comics, zines and multiples created by local artists at the Comic and Zine Market.

Presented by Canadian Western Bank.


In-Gallery Workshop | Caribou Tufting

 May 20, 1pm

Explore the history, the artists, and the contemporary application of caribou tufting, a textile technique that stitches and sculpts caribou hair into small decorative bunches or tufts. This workshop is taught by our Adjunct Indigenous Curator MJ Belcourt.

Free Admission

May 25, 4-7pm

The AGA is pleased to offer free admission from 4-7pm on the last Thursday of every month. Take advantage of this offer to check out our galleries and programming. Don’t forget to visit our shopAGA and support crafts and gifts created by local artists

Salsa Dancing with Maxwell Aguilar at the Art Gallery of Alberta

May 25, 6pm

To celebrate the opening of Dance Party, we are hosting a free, drop-in Salsa Dance Class. Join us for a fun beginner introduction to Salsa taught by Maxwell Aguilar from Caribbean Touch Dance School.  

Registration is not required.

Why Visual Artists Need a Contract | Chris W. Carson (CARFAC Alberta) and Interdisciplinary Artist Terrance Houle

May 30, 6:30pm

To create a healthy arts ecosystem where visual artists thrive, contracts are essential. Chris W. Carson will outline some of the ground rules (best practices) that help artists make money from their practice. Artist Terrance Houle will share stories on how contracts have been important to his career in terms of getting paid and the protection of his artistic rights.

This program is part of a partnership between CARFAC Alberta and the Art Gallery of Alberta.

Stroller Tour

May 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 free with admission.

Image: Jaileen Kaur

Art Hive

Every Thursday, 12-2pm

Join our educators and students from St. Stephen’s College Art Therapy program in the art studio Art Hive, a community art making initiative that welcomes everyone to get creative while feeling safe and included. 

Art Hive is free and open to all and is presented with St. Stephen’s College at the University of Alberta.


Tours for Tots

Wednesdays, 10am

Every Wednesday at 10 am, children ages 3-5 and their parents explore art and join in for playful activities at Tours for Tots.

May 17 | String Art
May 24 | Rose Fairies


Studio Y

Every Wednesday, 4-5:30pm

Join us for Studio Y, a creative hangout for youth ages 13-17. Explore a new topic each week and experiment with art materials in a fun and informal studio format. 

$5 per session or get your punch card for multiple sessions.

May 17 | Book Binding
May 24 | Wirework Jewelry

Studio Y is supported by the AGA Youth Council and the Butler Family Foundation.

Adult Open Studio

Every Thursday, 7pm 

Adult Open Studio is a casual, drop-in art workshop. No experience required. Simply drop in, relax, explore a new idea and experiment. All materials included.

ArtBreak Summer Camps

This summer, join us for an investigation of nature, stories, creativity, comics and design! Each week, we explore one of these themes, visit current exhibitions, experiment in the studio, and discover the art, neighbourhoods, and green spaces around the gallery.  

Camps are available for ages 6-8, 9-12 and 13-17.

Art Sales and Rental

Refresh your home or office this summer with one of our pieces from 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.

Learn more

shopAGA

shopAGA is a destination that celebrates Canadian and local makers, designers and innovators. With an emphasis on originality, craftmanship and quality, we are committed to providing interesting, authentic, culturally significant, and locally-made products to amplify your art experience. 

Admission is never required to visit shopAGA. Show your AGA membership and save 10%!

Learn more

In the Community

The Citadel | Prison Dancer

May 6 - 28, 2023

Music and Lyrics by Romeo Candido
Book by Romeo Candido and Carmen De Jesus
Directed by Nina Lee Aquino
A Co-Production with Prison Dancer Inc.

Developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund

In 2007, a video of 1,500 inmates in a Philippines prison dancing to Michael Jackson’s "Thriller" was posted to YouTube and quickly became one of the internet’s first viral videos. The “Dancing Inmates of Cebu” are the inspiration behind this exciting new musical by Filipino-Canadian creators Romeo Candido and Carmen De Jesus.

Buy tickets

Discover more AGA art activities here 🎨

The Art Gallery of Alberta respectfully acknowledges that we are located in Treaty 6 Territory, the traditional 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.