Fall speed ahead at our beloved Glenbow

Fall 2018 promises to be out of this world at Glenbow. The exhibition lineup includes: Cosmos: Gathie Falk, Margaret Nazon and Erik Olson; The Arctic: Real and Imagined Views from the Nineteenth Century; and One New Work Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal: Feet on the Ground.

Cosmos, curated by Mary-Beth Laviolette, features works of art that explore the mysteries of the universe. The celestial studies are the work of three contemporary artists: Erik Olson’s planetary portraits; Gathie Falk’s expressionist starscapes; and Margaret Nazon’s Hubble Telescope-inspired traditional beadwork.

Arctic, curated by Travis Lutley, features art from Arctic expeditions between 1818—1876, including the search for Franklin and his crew and the final British attempt to navigate the Northwest Passage, juxtaposed with Indigenous and European artifacts and contemporary commentary by Inuit cultural consultants James Kuptana and Sophia Lebessis.

One New Work, curated by Nancy Tousley, features Calgarybased Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal, an emerging multimedia and performance artist and community activist who uses the women’s Pow Wow Jingle Dress Dance and its regalia as key elements of her art practice, in which she seeks a deeper understanding of herself and her Indigenous culture.

A select group of guests gathered at Glenbow Sept. 28 to be the first to experience the new fall exhibitions at an exclusive VIP opening reception. After the formal reception, scores of Glenbow supporters attended the public Launch Party, the biggest and best art party in town.

Spotted at the VIP reception were: Glenbow president and CEO Donna Livingstone; board chair Irfhan Rawji and his wife, Christine Armstrong; Alberta Minister of Infrastructure Sandra Jansen; Imperial Oil president and CEO and new Glenbow board member Rich Kruger and his wife, Jennifer; new board member and Boston Consulting Group partner and managing director Ross Middleton; Viviane Art’s Viviane Mehr, Jenna Klein Waller and Elizabeth Middleton; BMO Nesbitt Burns’ Scott McCreath; avid Glenbow supporters Cliff and Leslie Fryers; Fellow of Glenbow and contributor to the Arctic exhibition Rod Green; past Glenbow board chair Jim McLeod; legendary artist Chris Cran; independent curator Diana Sherlock; Alberta Liberal Party Leader David Khan; Harris Kirshenbaum; and Ethel Gibbs, proud grandmother of artist Erik Olson.

The exhibitions run through Jan 6, 2019.

,PHOTOS: BILL BROOKS Attending Glenbow’s exclusive VIP reception were, from left, Imperial Oil president and CEO and new Glenbow board member Rich Kruger with his wife, Jennifer, Glenbow president and CEO Donna Livingstone and Ross Middleton — new Glenbow board member and Boston Consulting Group partner and managing director.

Alberta Liberal Party Leader David Khan, left, with avid Glenbow supporter Harris Kirshenbaum.

Artist Erik Olson and his proud grandmother Ethel Gibbs attended Glenbow’s VIP opening reception together. Olson’s portraits of planets are part of the exhibit Cosmos, which runs at the museum through Jan 6. They posed in front of one of his planetary pieces.

Renowned artist Chris Cran, left, is joined by Glenbow Fellow and curator Nancy Tousley and Diana Sherlock.

Getting a sneak preview of this fall’s exhibits were, from left, BMO Nesbitt Burns’ Scott McCreath, Cliff Fryers, past Glenbow board chair Jim McLeod and Rod Green, Fellow of Glenbow and contributor to Glenbow’s exhibition The Arctic.

Viviane Art’s Jenna Klein Waller, left, with Viviane Mehr and Elizabeth Middleton.

Glenbow’s exclusive VIP opening reception afforded guests the opportunity to view Glenbow’s new fall exhibitions at their leisure. Among the distinguished attendees were Christine Armstrong, left, and her husband, Glenbow board chair Irfhan Rawji, and Alberta Minister of Infrastructure Sandra Jansen.