ART GALLERY OF ALBERTA EXHIBITS ‘A DIVERSE ARRAY OF VISUAL ART’
Tucked into the urban landscape of office towers and a bustling downtown condo community, a representation of one of the northern hemisphere’s most stunning natural phenomena — the aurora borealis, amid the meandering North Saskatchewan River — is reflected in the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA).
The AGA’s form is a stunning collaboration of graceful waves and majestic imagery. The landmark is the heartbeat of Edmonton’s arts and cultural community, positioning our city on a world-class stage.
“Approximately 100,000 people visit the AGA annually,” says Catherine Crowston, the gallery’s executive director and chief curator, “and (for 2017) we are anticipating this number will increase to 110,000, 115,000.”
Exhibits showcased in the AGA are a compilation of various projects, ranging from celebrating the talents of local artists to presenting travelling works by international masters. In addition, prominent Alberta artists including Chris Cran, Alex Janvier and Lyndal Osborne have received rave reviews, as their works have been put on display for an appreciative audience.
“The AGA aims to exhibit a diverse array of visual arts,” says Crowston, reflecting on some of the more popular exhibits. “The most well-attended exhibition to date was Warhol Manufactured in 2011, featuring the work of American pop artist Andy Warhol. But our audience has responded tremendously to recent exhibitions featuring Toulouse-Lautrec and Matisse, as well as the exhibition 7: Professional Native Indian Artists Inc.,” a project featuring groundbreaking Indigenous artists.
With Canada celebrating its 150th anniversary, the AGA has developed a special exhibit entitled Past Imperfect: A Canadian History Project. Thanks to the generous sponsorship provided by Denton’s, free admission was offered during the Canada Day weekend, resulting in more than 7,000 guests.
“The exhibition presents over 120 works of art that act as markers for important moments in Canada’s history,” says Crowston, who notes that the project reflects “achievement and invention, as well as conflict and colonization.”
The Art Gallery of Alberta’s original forerunner — the Edmonton Museum of Arts — was founded in 1924. Over the years, the museum moved to various sites around the city, including the Palm Room in the Hotel Macdonald, the Edmonton Public Library, the fourth floor of the Civic Block, the Edmonton Motors building, and the historic Secord House in 1952.
In 1956, the museum adopted a new name: the Edmonton Art Gallery. By 1961, the museum’s popularity and the expanding exhibits prompted the City of Edmonton to take action by donating more than a half-acre of land at 2 Sir Winston Churchill Square, and initiating the creation of a dedicated building.
Don Bittorf designed the structure in 1969, adopting a Brutalist architectural style that was common for government buildings in the 1960s. However, by 2005 the arts and cultural community had expanded and larger travelling works had become more accessible, and the Bittorf building required an overhaul.
But the existing structure was not completely demolished, says Crowston, who notes that while much of the original building was relegated to the foundation and lower levels, “about 67 per cent of the original structure was retained during the reconstruction. The third floor outdoor terrace is the roof of the original building.”
The Art Gallery of Alberta — designed by Randall Stout — opened its doors in January 2010. The majestic sweeping design created by Stout paid homage to the spectacular aurora borealis, with ribbons of steel representing the North Saskatchewan River. The building ’s interior equals its iconic exterior, as the southwest corner of the third floor presents the aurora borealis-designed room.
Along with the floating Aurora Borealis Room, the impressive three-storey structure provides extensive gallery space to accommodate both permanent and travelling exhibitions. It is also the home of the Singhmar Centre for Art Education, the Zinc Restaurant and Terrace Cafe, the AGA Gift shop, the 50-seat Ledcor Theatre, and unique rental spaces such as Manning Hall. One of Edmonton’s best kept secrets is the fact that the AGA is also a source of affordable art for your home or office.
“The AGA Art Rental and Sales is the oldest art rental and sales program in the province,” says Crowston. “For over 60 years, the AGA has been a place where the public can rent or purchase works from Alberta artists at a reasonable cost.”
As the city has put an emphasis on enriching the downtown core’s neighbourhood and nightlife, the AGA has responded by offering free general admission on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 5-8 p.m. And while the gallery may be housed in Edmonton’s downtown core, the cultural community expands far beyond the city’s borders.
“The vision for the new gallery was that it would have an expanded provincial mandate and new national and international exhibition partnerships,” Crowston says. “In an effort to remove barriers to gallery access, this year we introduced free admission for youth under 18 and all Alberta students.”
There is always something new and inspiring at the AGA, and this fall is no exception.
“In September, we opened a new exhibition, Turbulent Landings, a component of the 2017 Canadian biennial, which we are presenting as part of our ongoing partnership with the National Gallery of Canada.”