About
About the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie
The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is one of the largest Free Admission galleries in Western Canada. It is one of a number of programmed spaces within the Montrose Cultural Centre and shares communal spaces with the Grande Prairie Public Library and Teresa Sargent Hall. Strict adherence to climate and security controls has earned the Gallery a “Category A” designation by the Movable Cultural Properties Directorate of Canadian Heritage. This designation permits the Gallery to preserve and exhibit artworks to the highest of national standards.
Vision
The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie will be a centre of excellence, inspiration, creativity and innovation for the Arts. We will be a valued cultural partner and vital resource for the public, artists, curators and writers.
Mission
Enriching the community through the creation, conservation and sharing of art.
Governance
As a non profit organization, the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who set the vision for, and monitor, the Gallery’s finances and operations. They task the Gallery’s Executive Director to operationalize the policies, oversee staff and collaborate with the community.
The Current Board of Directors are:
Executive
- Chair, Murray Quinn (chair@aggp.ca)
- Vice Chair, Leah Paslawski
- Treasurer, Dawn Sauve
- Secretary, Nichole Staffen
Directors
- Josh Barrett
- Aretha Johnson
- Candace Sanderson
- Ken Sawdon
Annual Reports
Staff
Administration
- Jessica Groome, Executive Director / Chief Curator
- Melanie Jenner, Gallery Administrator
- Sarah Drydale, Gallery Receptionist
- Jesi Tibbles, Bookkeeping
Exhibitions and Collections
- Mohsen Ahi Andy, Associate Curator, Exhibitions and Collections
- Robert Swanston, Preparator
- Jamie-Lee Cormier, TREX Manager/Curator
Learning
- Garry Bradley, Curatorial Assistant, Learning
History
In 1974 a group of concerned citizens began the process of establishing an art gallery in Grande Prairie. By-laws and a constitution were drawn up and submitted to the provincial government.
On June 5, 1975, The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie was established under the Societies Act of the Province of Alberta. The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie’s first home was an old chemistry laboratory provided by the Grande Prairie Regional College. Uncertain of how long the space would be available, the Gallery decided to move to a downtown location. The Gallery stayed downtown for a few months before returning to the old chemistry lab. The chemistry lab became the home of the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie until July of 1981.
On July 3, 1981, The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie opened in a new location—a former church called Speke Hall. The Minister of Culture, Mary LeMessurier, cut the ribbon to open the former Speke Hall. The building was transformed from a dull church hall to a well-lit and spacious gallery. The rent of the facility was generously donated back to the Gallery’s operational budget by Top Realty. This move was a stepping stone for The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie. The hard work of many volunteers and the financial support of the private sector proved that the Gallery was here to stay.
From there, the Gallery moved into the Grande Prairie High School, a historic building built in 1929, on February 9, 1985, and remained there for 22 years. On March 19, 2007 almost half of the Gallery collapsed under the heavy snow load on the roof. No one was hurt and no art work was destroyed, but every aspect of the Gallery’s service was affected by the collapse. From May 2007 to May 2009, the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie was in a temporary location where the staff continued to provide the community with exhibitions and art classes.
The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie opened in its current location in the Montrose Cultural Centre in 2009. The collapsed building was restored allowing the Art Gallery to fully open the restored building in 2012, and continue the initial plans of connecting and including the 1929 building to the Montrose Cultural Centre.
In 2010, the Montrose Cultural Centre designed by Teeple Architects Inc won the Prairie Design Award – Award of Excellence.
We acknowledge that we are located on Treaty 8 territory—the ancestral Land of the sovereign Dane-zaa, Nehiyawak, Dene, and Otipemisiwak Nations. We acknowledge the many Indigenous Peoples who have lived and cared for these lands for generations. We are grateful for the traditional Knowledge Keepers and Elders who are still with us today and those who have gone before us. We make this acknowledgement as an act of reconciliation and gratitude.
The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie also recognizes that Land Acknowledgments are not enough. Through our actions we commit to truth, reconciliation, decolonization, and allyship in support of Indigenous lifeways and wellbeing.
Thank You To Our Major Funders
Thank You To Our Media Partners
